Phantom Gtowner - 45worlds

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
Phantom Gtowner 21st Feb 2024		Vinyl Album The Beach Boys - Surf's Up	Review If the Beach Boys previous LP "Sunflower" has been described by some as Dennis Wilson's LP, this one should be called Carl's album. I thought this was the record where Carl really came into his own. But that's not all that's happening on this very fine record, one of their best of the 1970's. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Sep 2021		Vinyl Album Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream And Other Delights	Definitely "What Now My Love" was originally on Quality. He was still incredibly hot at the time of its release (circa May 1966) so there has to be a few copies out there somewhere.
Phantom Gtowner 3rd Sep 2021		Vinyl Album Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream And Other Delights	This would have been available on the Quality label for roughly 15 months after it's spring 1965 release. It was roughly August/September 1966 when it would have been issued on A&M.
Phantom Gtowner 3rd Sep 2021		Vinyl Album Bobby Rydell - Forget Him	I thought I heard it was Tony Hatch.
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2021		CD Album Art Garfunkel - Garfunkel	Review I purchased this CD for only one reason. To get "Second Avenue", perhaps my all-time favorite Garfunkel track on CD. You see, this tune had only been available as a 45 since 1974 and I needed to hear it again desperately. Okay, so here we get an abbreviated version which is extremely annoying. Even on this collection there is a certain amount of wallpaper like "When A Man Loves A Woman". Yes it is a fine song but, my gawd, why has everybody and his brother recorded it? Truthfully I am sick of it. The best tracks are stunning, "All I Know", "Bright Eyes", "99 Miles From L.A." and "A Heart In New York" to go along with the previous mentioned "Second Avenue". Other tracks I didn't really need or want are the syrupy "So Much In Love" and the redundant "What A Wonderful World". One of Garfunkel's problems is that he doesn't write his own music so in that regard he is at the mercy of others. In the past, though he nearly always had impeccable taste in choosing his material like Stephen Bishop's "Looking For The Right One" or Van Morrison's "I Shall Sing", neither of which is included here unfortunately. In short, this might be a good starting place for you to enjoy Art Garfunkel and his glorious voice but after you digest this, and it won't take long, you need to dig deeper. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2021		Vinyl Album Wings - Wild Life	Review Unlike its two predecessors, it sounds like it was thrown together very quickly. Most of it is disposable. "Some People Never Know" and "Dear Friend" are decent ballads but “Mumbo” “Love Is Strange” and “Bip Bop” are absolute time wasters. The title tune "Wild Life" sounds like a plagiarism of CSNY's "Almost Cut My Hair". Of his first three LP's, it is by far the least enjoyable. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2021		CD Album Michael Nesmith - ... Tropical Campfires ...	Review This CD marked a return to a more rootsy sound on several of the 12 tracks. In many ways this recording may be his crowning accomplishment. The musicianship is excellent, production and sound also very good. The band comprises of John Hobbs on keyboards, Joe Chemay on bass, Red Rhodes on steel guitar, John Jorgenson on guitar & mandolin, Louis Conte on percussion and Nesmith on guitar. “Yellow Butterfly” is the opening track and while understated and fairly uneventful, it seems noteworthy that a steel guitar is in evidence subtly telling us the frivolity of “The Newer Stuff” is a thing of the past. "Laugh Kills Lonesome" is an up-tempo piano driven cowboy song based on a Charles Russell painting of the same name. "Julianna" is a romantic love song without much if any country flavor. "Brazil", one of three cover songs, is sung convincingly in Spanish and surprisingly fits in with all the rest. The other two covers are both by Cole Porter "In The Still Of The Night" and "Begin The Beguine". He amazingly manages to blend these somewhat jazzy pieces into a mix with country, tex-mex and Spanish rhythms…and with ease. Other stand-out tracks are “Moon Over The Rio Grande”, a track that Roy Rogers would have been proud to do and “Rising In Love”, a happy little song that is sneaky good. The two part track, “One…For The Island” is particularly entertaining, especially the first section which is mostly instrumental and quite delightful. It all ends with "Twilight On The Trail", another cowboy song much along the lines of "Prairie Lullaby" and several other songs he's done in this vein. This is a very easy CD to like. It’s got melody, lyrics and fine arrangements. Beginning probably with “Infinite Rider”, he seems to have become much more adventuresome and versatile as a tunesmith, something that was not quite as evident on his earlier LP’s. It is another recording that would be a good introduction to those who don't know his music. Whenever I'm listening to Nesmith I'm always thinking, "When is the rest of world going to discover this guy?" Well, it’s probably too late and the truth is the rest of the world missed out. This CD is as good as it gets. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2021		CD Album Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties	Review Barry Manilow did some very good pop music from the mid 1970's and into the 1980's. "Mandy", "Could It Be Magic" and "Weekend In New England", amongst several others, are all finely crafted pop songs. But nothing he did, even in his heyday, could be described in any way as "cutting edge" and Barry himself would probably agree. This latest CD is comprised of 1950's standards and is done extremely well and in a very professional manner. He covers pre-rock tunes like Tony Bennett's "Rags To Riches" and The Four Lads' "Moments To Remember" to post rock songs such as The Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and Frankie Avalon's "Venus". His voice sounds pretty good too for a guy who must be at least 60 years of age. I like Barry Manilow and I actually like this CD. It is miles better, and infinitely more interesting, than any of Rod Stewart’s latest recordings. Despite it’s apparent popularity, there is a bigger picture. Something tells me that when you record CD’s of old well known songs and play Las Vegas, your career as a valid artist is essentially over. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 22nd Jun 2020		CD Album The Monkees - Instant Replay	Review Released in February 1969, officially this was the first Monkees LP without Peter Tork. He made his exit from the group in December 1968 so this is the first Monkees release without him. Well, not really. All the tracks on this CD were recorded while Peter was still involved although he isn't mentioned as a vocalist or intsrumentalist anywhere in the liner notes. This 1995 CD by Rhino contains all original twelve tracks plus seven more bonus selections. The group recorded nine LP's between 1966 and 1970, yet until the CD age, probably half of their recorded works were unreleased. Hence all these "bonus" tracks many of which are as good or better than what was issued in the 1960's. This CD is a real mixed bag of Monkees music, most of them recorded in 1968 although a couple of tracks, "I Won't Be The Same Without Her" and "Tear Drop City" go back to 1966. "Tear Drop City" was the 45 RPM release from Instant Replay, a tune that sounded like an inside-out version of "Last Train To Clarksville" and only half as good. It climbed only to #56 on the Billboard top 100, a sign that the Monkees had lost a lot of their sales momentum. Exposure from their TV series was long over and they were viewed by many as being phonies because they generally didn't play on their recordings. Other bands were given a pass on this kind of behavior including, although not exclusively, the Byrds and the Beach Boys. Surprisingly the recording is not that bad. It's not their finest hour but it's very listenable and has the mark of all the talented professionals that went into the making of it. The recordings were done sporadically and the producers include Boyce & Hart, Bones Howe, Carole Bayer & Neil Sedaka and in addition Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones. Much of the arranging is attributed to Shorty Rogers and Don McGinnis. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 8th Apr 2020		CD Album Michael Nesmith - Rays	Review “Rays” is the first release from Michael Nesmith in a dozen years. It becomes very apparent on listening he put a lot of time and passion into it and it’s great to hear something new from this most underrated and ignored singer/songwriter. Many tunes are instrumental and on first listen sound like T.V. documentary themes and some of the vocal tracks suffer from heavy handed arrangements. By that I mean the vocals tend to be partially drowned out by the instruments. This is not some sort of oversight by Nesmith, he worked on this project for roughly five years, maybe more. I’m sure he designed it that way. I know it’s just me, but I find this frustrating and impedes my listening enjoyment. One thing that really impressed me was the percussion throughout this recording. Nesmith nearly always uses interesting percussionists. It’s a good piece of work but a little disappointing for me. I would have wanted far less instrumentals and more vocals. Stand out tracks are the title track and “Follows the Heart”, proof that he can still write great tunes. Maybe next time…let’s see, at this rate, what will that be, 2018 maybe? (review written in 2007) 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 25th Mar 2020		CD Album Patsy Cline - 12 Greatest Hits	Review There isn't one song on this disc that is even moderately bad. The obvious classics like "I Fall To Pieces", "Crazy" and "Sweet Dreams" merge with "Walkin' After Midnight" (re-recorded here unfortunately), "Faded Love" and “She’s Got You”. Two really great tracks that are not quite as well known, but should be, are “Back In Baby’s Arms” and “Leavin’ On Your Mind”. I know some people who, due to a certain musical discrimination, won’t listen to anything even remotely bordering country music. They lose out here because, as I see it, one of the biggest myths about Patsy Cline is that she is some kind of hard core "country singer". Forget that she’s wearing a cowboy shirt on the cover, it’s just a wafer thin veneer. Some reports would suggest that Patsy longed to do a more country and less pop sound but producer Owen Bradley wouldn’t hear of it. On many selections on "12 Greatest Hits" she is no more country than her label mate Brenda Lee. Recorded in the early 1960’s, these songs were aimed directly at that invisible gap between pop and country with the hopes of picking up sales from both camps. If you want to hear a harder country sound, you need to check out her earlier recordings. No one with even a passing interest in American popular music should be without this CD. 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 25th Mar 2020		CD Album Simon And Garfunkel - Sounds Of Silence	Review I won't go into a detailed description of the history of the making of this LP but Columbia Records rushed it out so that they could get another S & G LP on the shelves to support their first huge hit "The Sounds Of Silence". And it shows. Two tracks, "We've Got A Groovy Thing Goin' " and "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" were recorded much earlier in May 1965, and have poppy arrangements unlike the rest of the tunes which are much more folk oriented. The title track was recorded back in 1964 and was buried on their first LP which quickly hit the delete bins until its resurrection. The rest of this record, including overdubs of drums and electric guitar to “The Sounds Of Silence”, was hastily recorded in December 1965. Because of a lack of new material, a lot of these tunes were re-recorded from Paul Simon’s first solo LP recorded in Britain in (I think) mid 1965. This record has some fine moments and could have been a lot better had more time been taken to produce it. It deals with many human emotions and activities including insecurity on "I Am A Rock" and "Leaves That Are Green" and suicide on "A Most Peculiar Man" and "Richard Cory". "I Am A Rock" is a different recording (the vocal at least) than the later mono 45 version. They must have re-recorded it for the single which I think was superior to the version here. Simon & Garfunkel scaled much higher ground with their subsequent releases but despite its flaws this album shows them in the learning process and without the polish of their later material. (This re-mastered copy is far better than my original CD in that it has informative liner notes and four bonus tracks, only one of which actually was from the December 1965 sessions.) 7 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 24th Mar 2020		Vinyl Album Bill Cosby - To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With	Label images 1912020/1912022 are from roughly 1975, possibly later but certainly no earlier.
Phantom Gtowner 24th Mar 2020		Vinyl Album Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry's Greatest Hits	According to Internet info this LP was issued in April 1964. If that's true the first Canadian pressings would be distributed by Quality Records. That issue however was short lived because on (give or take) August 15, 1964, the Canadian rights to Chess Records switched to Phonodisc where it remained until (I think) July 1, 1969. Doug's copy (image 1693825/1693826) is from 1969 or later.
Phantom Gtowner 9th Mar 2020		Vinyl Album Paul McCartney And Wings - Red Rose Speedway	Review When this recording was first issued many reviews were negative. True, it might not be as good as "Ram" but it has several charming tracks that need to be heard if you are a Beatles/McCartney fan. The first two songs on this record are ones I want to get out of the way quickly. "Big Barn Bed" is an over the top piece of typical PM fluff that rankles the life out of me. It is the "Monkberry Moon Delight" of this record, if you know what I mean. Truly it is a load of tripe but then so is the next track "My Love", or as I like to call it "Woh, Woh, Woh, Woh", but for different reasons. This one has my vote as the most bland and perfunctory piece of refuse ever created by Paul. (Okay, okay, maybe it’s not quite that bad. I’ve just heard it 5000 too many times.) I actually recommend you skip these first two to get to the good stuff because from here the LP takes a decisive turn for the better and we get one quality song after another. "Get On The Right Thing" is a strong song that would have been a great single, ditto for "One More Kiss" and then there's "Little Lamb Dragonfly" perhaps my favorite track of all here. Side two opens with the delightful "Single Pigeon" and then there's yet another strong song in "When The Night". From here it the quality dips a little bit but this is a Paul McCartney/Wings record well worth owning. The critics unfairly maligned it. Unlike his previous offering “Wild Life”, this wasn’t thrown together at the last minute. You can tell he took his time and put in a valiant effort. Some reviewers have had the audacity to say "Wild Life" was better. Sometimes wax builds up in the ears. I don’t know how else to explain it. "Red Rose Speedway" isn't his finest outing but it is a definite winner and one I like to listen to as often as I can. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2020		Vinyl Album The Mothers Of Invention - Freak Out!	Review I’m not going to pretend I understand all of Frank’s music because I don’t. There are entire LP/CD’s that are totally over my head but then, if you have read any of my previous reviews, that might not be difficult to believe. “Freak Out” is, for the most part, quite understandable. If you like music that is off the wall, iconoclastic and different, this might be the ticket. But there's something much more than humor, parody and the unconventional to this record. Zappa rails against something much more sinister and specific. “Hungry Freaks Daddy”, the opening track, is a call to arms to every underdog in America. What Frank Zappa is saying probably needed to be said but it’s the way he says it that is so alarming. There are other tracks that are much lighter in tone, like the humorous 1950’s doo-wop parodies such as “Go Cry On Somebody Else’s Shoulder”, “How Could I Be Such A Fool” and “Wowie Zowie”. A favorite of mine is “Who Are The Brain Police?” whose verses sound sweet and lightweight but the chorus is harsh and ominous. “Trouble Comin’ Every Day”, a Zappa rap over a bluesy backdrop is truly powerful and an unusual recording for 1966. Sometimes Frank’s humor works but often, for me anyway, he is far too angry to be really funny. Frank’s rage and frustration with conventional American life is an underlying theme in much of his music I have heard. Let’s hope that this mastermind and madman has finally found peace and contentment. 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2020		CD Album Elvis Costello With Burt Bacharach - Painted From Memory	Review It's not that this is a terrible CD, far from it. But after you take in the delightful, yet slightly jazzy backdrop, there's a couple of major problems. Elvis Costello is not blessed with the greatest singing voice. It’s not his fault, just the way nature planned it. But in many of the musical situations on “Painted From Memory”, a solid vocalist is essential to the overall enjoyment. Here, Elvis’ voice begins to get stretched beyond its normal limits. I’ll give him this though, he does his very best and at times, like in “God Give Me Strength” actually turns it into an asset. The melodies, all written by Burt Bacharach, are not nearly as jaunty or as easy to like as “Do You Know The Way To San Jose” or “I Say A Little Prayer” or for that matter most of his better known work. It's a little like many Joni Mitchell albums in that you need to hear it more than once or twice to get familiarized with it. That's the dodgy part. The good news is that there actually seems to be some common ground between Bacharach, a 1960's easy listening icon, and Costello who is an equal icon of the post punk/new wave era. Old meets new with interesting, although definitely mixed, results. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Mar 2020		Vinyl Album Anne Murray - This Way Is My Way	Review Pop music is full of pretentiousness. Always was and always will be. You only need to look at people like Gene Simmons or Madonna to understand that. But Anne Murray was different, at least at first. Take a look at the photo of her on the cover of this LP, her second long play and her first for Capitol Records. Sitting on a large rock by a stream in her stylish early '70's pantsuit and downhome hairdo, she looks totally unhip and not what one might expect from a hitmaking pop singer. And I like that. The record is good too. The arrangements are simple and the words are real and honest. You can marvel at the latest flavour of the week rapper's oh so hip and meaningful lyrics if you want, but I think the words to Gene MacLellan's "Snowbird" are real poetry about a love lost and the heartbreak that comes with it. It's a simple country/folk/pop tune with a barebones accompanyment. Anne and her producer Brian Ahern left out one of the verses which is why it only clocks in at 2:08. I only found this out upon listening to Gene MacLellan's own version of the song a few years later. Another stand-out track is "Bidin' My Time" also written by MacLellan which might be my all-time favourite song by Anne. This should have been as big as "Snowbird" but it was released as a 45 immediately prior and got no airplay at all. Other unassuming yet very noteworthy songs include Eric Andersen's "Thirsty Boots", The Lovin' Spoonful's "Sittin' Back Lovin' You", Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" and yet another MacLellan tune "Hard As I Try". But not everything on this record is great. She covers a not-quite-so-well-known Monkees' song "Nice To Be With You", it's not terrible or anything but down a notch from "Snowbird" for sure. This might not be my all-time favourite LP but it is a really steadfast effort from a young 24 year old girl from Springhill, N.S. who seemed to be a little bit out of her comfort zone and squinting in those bright lights. Her vulnerability was as refreshing as a cold Molson Canadian on a hot day. To this day I don't think Anne Murray gets it. "This Way Is My Way" is by far one her best works. It's uncluttered, rootsy and honest to a tee. Unlike her later work it's far better than those recordings with that "genius" overproducer David Foster in the 1980's. Her next couple of LP's after this one, "Straight, Clean And Simple" And "Honey, Wheat And Laughter", are pretty good too but just four years later in the mid 1970's she had lost her way. By then she was recording Beatles' songs like "Day Tripper" and "You Won't See Me" and a wonky white version of the old Doris Troy tune "Just One Look". Was she that hard up for material? If you haven't heard this LP in a long time, or maybe never, please give it a spin. You might be surprised. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 20th Feb 2020		78 RPM Bing Crosby - White Christmas / Let's Start The New Year Right	If 1942 is accurate, this is the original recording of "White Christmas", not the 1947 re-recording that we have today.
Phantom Gtowner 6th Feb 2020		CD Album Michael Nesmith - The Newer Stuff	Review The Newer Stuff is comprised of eight new songs plus six previously released recordings from the latter 1970’s. I will deal with only the new songs for this review. Of the eight tracks, five were recorded for his shelved “movie/musical” called “Video Ranch” in circa 1981. It is not at all unlike “Infinite Rider..” in that it incorporates background singers and synthesizers and has little or no country influence. The main difference to me is that this is Nesmith’s satirical and humorous LP. The delightful looseness of Infinite Rider remains. He sounds confident and he displays an amazing ability to produce commercial pop music. Six of the new songs are written by Nesmith and the other two are by his friend Bill Martin. In tracks like “Total Control”, “Formosa Diner” and “Chow Mein And Bowling” he takes a few good natured swats at suburban American life in the 1980’s. “Tanya” is a pretty love song. It would have made a good single although it sounds a little like Carly Simon’s “Comin’ Round Again”. “I'll Remember You”, a high point, is a nostalgic look and at Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and John Lennon. “Tahiti Condo” is a pretty zany song. It sounds like maybe Mike had been listening to Frank Zappa at the time. Then there’s “Eldorado To The Moon”, a Bill Martin fun tune about taking a Cadillac on an interstellar journey. Had this LP/CD been exposed to the public, it had the potential to have become a huge cult hit. Probably six of the eight tracks would have had no trouble getting radio airplay. Unfortunately only Nesmith fans such as I have had the pleasure to behold this minor masterpiece. 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 5th Feb 2020		Vinyl Album Michael Nesmith - Infinite Rider On The Big Dogma	Review Hailed as his return to rock, this record seemed to get more exposure than Nesmith had enjoyed in almost a decade. While “From A Radio Engine To A Photon Wing”, his previous entry, still had a few vague references to country this one is almost straight ahead pop/rock. (By now I was beginning to get a little irritated with his long winded LP titles.) The irony on this record, to me, is that it is by far his most accessible LP, yet for him it is easily his most unusual recording. He shows off an amazing versatility with a mix and match of different styles. On the uptempo numbers like the opening track “Dance”, “Horserace” and “Cruisin’ (Lucy and Ramona and Sunset Sam)”, the single, he seems to try hard to sound like a rocker but ultimately his voice just isn’t up to it. Far better are the ballads like “Carioca” “Light” and “Flying”. Another ballad, “Magic” is sung almost totally in falsetto and is a very impressive performance, one of the high points of the LP but the song itself sounds musically quite a bit like “When A Man Loves A Woman”. The final track “Capsule” is also a nice almost jazzy piece and like nothing he has ever done before to my recollection. If Michael Nesmith ever had thoughts of moving into the mainstream of popular music, this would have been the LP to do it. The good news is that the playing is superb. Someone in a previous review panned this record for being “over produced” and that is a very fair criticism. Back in 1980 it wasn’t so noticeable to me but today it sticks out like a sore thumb. A few short years ago I would have given this five stars but revisionism reigns supreme. A fine performance by all and possibly a good starting point for those not familiar with his work. 3 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 29th Jan 2020		Vinyl Album Michael Nesmith - From A Radio Engine To The Photon Wing	Review His previous three LP's were not issued here in Canada so this became his first Canadian release since early 1972. It was recorded in Nashville with several notable musicians including David Briggs on keyboards, Lonnie Mack on guitar, David MacKay on bass and Weldon Myrick on steel and dobro. It starts off well with the playful “Rio” complete with sound affects, background singers and party atmosphere. This song was apparently a minor hit in the U.K. but in North America, to my knowledge, it was almost unplayed. Pity! It’s become a Nesmith classic of sorts. “Casablanca Moonlight” is a surprisingly moody piece that I like quite a bit but “More Than We Imagine” struck fear in my heart upon hearing a somewhat sneaky disco intro before it settled into a fairly normal, yet uneventful, Nesmith groove. Next he tackles the Roy Rogers’ classic “Along The Navajo Trail”. Anyone familiar with him knows of his penchant for cowboy songs and this one does not disappoint. It brings it into the 1970’s without it sounding dated, no mean feat. “We Are Awake” is an edgy and surprisingly bluesy piece, “Love’s First Kiss” is a tuneless song but with romantic wordy imagery and “The Other Room” is an uptempo country number that closes out the LP. Some of the stiffness of “The Prison” still remains in this recording. It’s a saw-off really. The overall quality of the songs is not quite what we had from the RCA Victor LP’s, however the fidelity and musicianship is far better. This is not his finest hour but it’s still a solid record. 2 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 29th Jan 2020		Vinyl Album The Beach Boys - M.I.U. Album	I completely agree with the above review by The Doors - Topic. This LP was far, far better than the critiques ever gave it credit for. It's time for all you Beach Boys fans to give it a chance. You won't be disappointed.
Phantom Gtowner 27th Jan 2020		Vinyl Album Michael Nesmith - Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash	Review His sixth and final LP for RCA Victor before they gave him the pink slip. But don't be fooled by that because this LP is a return to form and once again features a full band sound. Like two of his previous RCA LP’s, side one is all Nesmith compositions and side two features covers. The first side is comprised four songs, three are new songs (to me) and one “Some Of Shelley’s Blues” probably goes back to the mid 1960’s. This was recorded with The Monkees (unreleased) and covered by The Stone Poneys (Linda Ronstadt, lead singer) in 1967 but this re-working may be his finest version of it yet. The two ballads “Continuing” and “Release” are fine Nesmith tunes and “Winonah” is a passable piece of country honk about a barmaid who likes to drink too much. Two of the covers are marvelous, including veteran country writer Cindy Walker's "Born to Love You" and Billy Hill's "Prairie Lullaby". These songs don’t miss their mark and provide as much or more entertainment as the Nesmith compositions. They alone ought to silence anyone who questions his ability as a vocalist. In between these two gems is a piece called “The Back Porch And A Fruit Jar Of Iced Tea” which is an amalgamation of two songs, the traditional “The F.F.V.” and Bill Monroe’s “Uncle Pen”. It sounds like some sort of country hoedown that might appeal to some but unfortunately not me. This record is probably as good as any of his previous releases and was his last country/rock LP for many years. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 18th Jan 2020		Vinyl Album Michael Nesmith - The Prison	Review The Prison was the first Michael Nesmith recording that I could never really warm up to. It features semi-dull tunes and almost every track seems to be twice as long as it needed to be. In truth perhaps I’m using the wrong yardstick to measure it. Supposedly one is to read the story in the accompanying booklet and play the record at the same time. As revolutionary and creative as this might be, it is something I never had the patience, time or desire to do. This review is judging it strictly as an audio LP. The sound of this record is like none of his previous works. Gone is the stylish steel guitar country/rock and in its place is a dense monolithic and layered drone that never really seems to get going. For the first time, Red Rhodes’ is not the dominant musical element although he does contribute the odd little piece here and there throughout. All songs are written by Nesmith and the good news is that he has not lost his lyrical ability. The problems seem to stem from all songs being pretty much the same tempo and unlike his previous work, there’s a definite lack of strong melody. If you can get through "Opening Theme (Life, The Unsuspecting Captive)" without falling asleep, the next tune “Dance Between The Raindrops” actually rocks a little. “Elusive Ragings”, “Waking Mystery” and “Hear Me Calling” are pleasant enough but there’s always a feeling that they are a little bit unfocused and heading in the wrong direction. Another track, “Marie’s Theme” again is a passable piece of work but seems hindered by the repetitious last line of “..Hidden Behind All The Logic One Finds Without Truth”. A great line for sure but cripes, I don’t need to hear it forty or so times or more. I might as well be listening to the "Hey Jude" finale. In summing up, I give Nesmith an A for ambition but overall, for me anyway, it didn’t work. That’s okay, he doesn’t fail me too often. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 16th Jan 2020		Vinyl Album Michael Nesmith - And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'	Review This was his fifth RCA Victor release in slightly more than two years and was so highly thought of by RCA Victor of Canada that they decided not to issue it here at all. Luckily I had a good friend in the U.S.A. who picked me up my copy. I have heard some people say this is Nesmith at his best but I'm not convinced. It features the somewhat sparse sound of an ever faithful Orville "Red" Rhodes on steel guitar and Nesmith on rhythm guitar and vocals. All songs are Nesmith originals although some of the tunes featured had been composed years before. It was a chance to get them recorded and perhaps out of the way. Most, if not all, tracks are barely arranged and are a little more like fancy demos than a finished product. “Different Drum” definitely falls into this category. It would have been nice to hear a full band arrangement and a more intense vocal of this classic. However, I'm sure that's what Michael wanted because, like Sinatra, he always seemed to do things his own way. And good for him. Some outstanding tracks include “Two Different Roads”, “Harmony Constant” and the single “Roll With The Flow”. There’s a good feel to this LP especially where a couple of times, just prior to a guitar break, Nesmith chirps “Go Red!”. With that cue, Red Rhodes dives into one his classic steel guitar solos that by now are so entertaining and familiar. In short this record doesn’t compare to his previous four LP’s. But then, because of the high quality of those recordings, it would have been hard pressed to do so anyway. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 7th Jan 2020		Vinyl Album Michael Nesmith And The Second National Band - Tantamount To Treason, Vol. I	Review Tantamount To Treason Volume One (Was a volume two ever in the works?) introduces a new band with the exception of holdover and steel guitar player Red Rhodes. The overall feel of The Second National Band is a little less country and slightly more pop/rock. Like its predecessor, "Nevada Fighter", all songs on side one are Nesmith originals and all on side two are covers with one exception. Side one consists of only four songs and, of those, only "Lazy Lady" and “In The Afternoon” catches Nesmith at his best. The other two songs here seem a little tired and listless. "Mama Rocker", the single, is a fine rock’n’roller, somewhat unusual for him, but really just a knock-off and “You Are My One” catches Nesmith sounding uncharacteristically boring and repetitious. "In The Afternoon" is a really fine tune although it sounds to me a little like "Lady Of The Valley" from Loose Salute. But on side two he redeems himself by choosing some amazing cover tunes to perform such as Richard Stekol’s “Wax Minute”, “Talking To The Wall”, a song that wouldn’t be out of place on a Monkees’ album, and the George Jones classic “She Thinks I Still Care”. Another good cover tune is Pee Wee King’s “Bonaparte’s Retreat”. I was familiar with this tune as done by Billy Grammer from the late 1950’s and a couple of years after this, in the mid 1970’s, Glen Campbell covered it (does he listen to Nesmith too?). But no one that I’ve heard gives it quite such a good reading as the ex-Monkee does here. Oh yes, and there’s “Highway 99 With Melange” written by another band member which is offbeat and a little crazy. Don’t know what to make of it to be honest, comic relief perhaps? Nesmith never used The Second National Band again for reasons unknown to me. This record seemed to me to be a very slight step backwards but it is still a very enjoyable listen. Some consider this to be his finest hour. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 21st Jan 2019		CD Album Ray Price - The Essential Ray Price 1951–1962	Review This CD is a truly wonderful example of 1950s honky tonk style country music by a man who today might be better known to most for his smooth Nashville style balladry such as “For The Good Times” in the early 1970s. And please don’t get me wrong, I loved his version of that tune, but this stuff just might be better. You can really sink your teeth into it. Check out classics like “Crazy Arms” “My Shoes Keeping Walking Back To You”, “You Done Me Wrong” and “City Lights” and somewhat lesser known numbers (to me at least) like “Falling, Falling, Falling” and “Pride”. The liner notes don’t mention who the players are but there’s some great fiddle, steel guitar and Floyd Cramer style piano on almost every track. This music demonstrates what country/western used to be compared what it has become in recent decades. There’s no doubt this may not be for everyone, I understand that, but it’s definitely for me. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 21st Jan 2019		Vinyl Album George Harrison - Extra Texture	Review I'm getting really tired of this LP constantly being hammered by the critics. Yet I agree, it certainly isn't his masterpiece. Most of George's solo records, even LP’s like “Living In The Material World” and “Thirty Three And A Third”, are very uneven. But it’s not absolutely terrible either, there are redeeming qualities.The single "You" is a good song, very commercial, but totally over produced in a “Phil Spector/All Things Must Pass” type of way. Was “You” recorded at another session? It sure sounds like it. I really like "The Answer's At The End", "His Name Is Legs", "Grey Cloudy Lies" and in particular Leon Russell's piano passage in "Tired Of Midnight Blue". On the other hand "Can't Stop Thinking About You" is not much to write home about. It's too repetitious and long. Oh, and the track "This Guitar (Can’t Keep From Crying)" is yet another good listen. George isn’t really a great singer and that becomes evident in several places on “Extra Texture” and many of his other LP’s. But I think this record was as good as George could possibly do at that time. To say that this was a throwaway and his contractual obligation is a very misleading, if not an outright lie. When he was in that previous band he got a lot of help from his friends and he was so much better because he only had to write one or two songs per album. Now he’s standing naked for all of us to see. We knew what his talents were as a player but it wasn’t until his solo career began that we really got a much better look at George’s abilities as a music creator. 8 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
Phantom Gtowner 12th Jan 2019		Vinyl Album R.E.M. - Murmur	Review What "Murmur" lacks in melody it more than makes up for in unique guitar lines and quirky chord and tempo changes. The muddy production might have been intentional, something old guys like me don't understand, but this is one good listen. As the record progresses the songs seem to get better too. Favorite tracks are “Talk About The Passion”, “Shaking Through” and “We Walk” but several others are growing on me. Stick with it, because it takes a while to sink in. A success? Definitely. A Masterpiece? Maybe. 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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