The Spinout soundtrack album is a prime example of how Elvis' recording career was mishandled in the mid-1960s when the movie soundtracks took priority over everything else. Frankly, you can safely ignore everything on Side A and the first 3 tracks of Side B, except maybe if you want to compare Elvis' version of lead track Stop, Look and Listen with Ricky Nelson's original or even the Bill Haley version that, oddly, was recorded around the same time Elvis did his. Elvis' version ends weirdly - almost as if it's been truncated.

No, the sole reason for wanting this album is for three of the best tracks Elvis ever recorded - and they were buried at the back of the soundtrack as bonus filler. In particular, the 5-minute-long cover of Dylan's "Tomorrow is a Long Time" is, in my opinion, the best vocal performance Elvis ever reccorded, full stop. Based on gospel singer Odetta's version, its relaxed pace, philosophical lyrics over a modern-country backing and Elvis' smooth vocal (apparently this was recorded at something like 6 am after an all-night recording session, so if Elvis was sleepy, it worked) is like nothing he recorded before or since. Sadly, the Beatles had yet to break the length barrier for singles with Hey Jude, so there was no way this would have been released on a single unless it was edited down - but what a track it would have been if included on an album like Elvis is Back. And the fact it rarely appears on compilations is a real puzzler.

The two other tracks are also amazing - Down in the Alley is the hardest blues Elvis had recorded since Reconsider Baby, and I'll Remember You was a lovely ballad along the same lines as Presley's recent successful single "Love Letters" (a charity named for its writer was the beneficiary of Elvis' Aloha from Hawaii concert a few years later).

Elvis experts often point to the How Great Thou Art gospel album and Guitar Man single, both from 1967, as the first stirrings of his Comeback, which climaxed in 1969 with the Memphis sessions and his return to Vegas. Had the Colonel or RCA put these three songs on a non-soundtrack album, tossed Down in the Alley onto a single, and filled the rest of the album with some of the other recordings from the period like Beyond the Reef (unreleased until 1966), Love Letters and so forth, the Comeback could have started a whole year earlier.

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One thing that becomes clear about this record is that Sinatra ignores all modern pop music trappings. It is totally out of time. There is not one nod to rock’n’roll, soul, disco or punk. Upon hearing this, a person who went into a coma in 1955 and woke up 25 years later might think that nothing had changed. He still has that confident and familiar swagger and he was never afraid to take a chance but “Trilogy” is a tell-tale period for him. Face it, Frank didn’t need to do “Trilogy”, arguably the most ambitious record of his career. At age 64, his place in pop music history was assured. Recording at all by then had its risks. This recording is a concept record of 3 discs, each representing The Past, The Present and The Future. “The Past” is conducted and arranged by Billy May, “The Present” features Don Costa and “The Future” is handled by Gordon Jenkins. All three volumes are produced by Sonny Burke. Record One, The Past is where Sinatra really shines. With bandleader Billy May, he effortlessly sails through tracks of varying tempo like “The Song Is You” and “Let’s Face The Music And Dance” with that familiar yet somewhat annoying Sinatra panache. If he had stopped at Record One we would have a very good LP, but there was more.

The Present, record two, is an uneven set but the highlights are well worth a listen. “Theme From New York, New York”, the high point of the entire album is probably Frank's final masterpiece. Until this recording, the best known version of this tune was by Liza Minnelli. Today it would be hard to find someone who can even remember Minnelli doing it. Another track “You And Me (We Wanted It All)” is an emotional tune with a late 1970's flare. These are good songs but my problem with “The Present” is simply that, of the ten songs, six are tunes that I could have done without. In trying to represent the present, Frank performs songs that are far better known by other singers. Some examples are Kristofferson’s “For The Good Times”, an abbreviated “MacArthur Park”, The Beatles’ “Something” and Elvis' “Love Me Tender”. Sinatra’s ongoing problem since the 1960’s has been a lack of decent songs for him to sing. This is not a knock on contemporary songwriters. There will always be good quality songs written but many modern composers don’t suit Sinatra’s style. Most popular music of any certain era has an inherent sameness to it, a lot like automobile designs. Frank was at his best doing Cole Porter, James Van Heusen or Gershwin. These writers were from a different era and wrote in a style that suited Ol’ Blue Eyes. To me he compromised himself artistically by doing contemporary material like Jim Croce’s “Bad Bad Leroy Brown” or his version of Cher’s hit “Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”. This dilemma is far from over on Trilogy. He attempts Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are” and Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blue” with disastrous results. To hear Frank croon these tunes awkwardly was something I didn’t need to hear. Why would he even think about recording these songs? I’m guessing it’s because these tunes really did represent the present in 1980 to Frank and Sonny Burke, which speaks volumes about their take on the times and what they thought Sinatra’s fans wanted to hear.

This brings us to the third record, “The Future”. This is where it gets just a little pretentious and a whole lot wiggy. Frank’s entire career consisted almost exclusively of singing short pop songs and when he gets into more elongated musical structures he sounds like The Sex Pistols trying to do Swan Lake. He performs six tracks all written specifically for this project by conductor Gordon Jenkins. I don’t make claims to have heard all of Sinatra’s work but this must surely rank as the strangest thing he has ever done. The first track “What Time Does The Next Miracle Happen”, a ten minute epic, is a futuristic musical trek around the solar system, much as you might fly an airplane, complete with airport like PA announcements. “World War None” sounds like it’s from some long lost musical and there’s “Song Without Words” which is okay but strangely, it actually has words. All this is followed by another epic length piece called “Before The Music Ends” which is all about returning to Hoboken to see his old neighborhood. It’s sobering to hear Frank off the rails but it has a certain charm. Maybe he meant this to be his last record.

The Future has it’s credibility problems but it is ambitious. Most singers today don’t want to take any chances, or more likely, their record companies won’t let them. Sinatra solved that problem by starting his own record company, Reprise Records. Before his death he did two more LP’s,“She Shot Me Down” (1981) and “L.A. Is My Lady” (1984). “Trilogy” is not the ultimate Frank Sinatra LP but it’s far from insignificant. Despite my gentle slagging, this record is an enjoyable listen and it’s good to know that, in his mid 60’s, Frank was still feisty. There’s a certain ironic comfort in

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Notoriously bad pressing... but not quite the whole story.

I found a copy of this the other day (along with a US copy of Violent Femmes first album - sweet! :) in a charity shop...

...While not really a great punk fan, as a lot of it seems fairly same-y, tuneless, artless fluff.

...Anyway, my personal gripes aside, I recognised the band's name, as being something of a big wheel in this area, along with the immediately recognisable "Johnny Thunders" name on the back, which together caused a little bell to go off inside my head - or maybe my crate digger's "spidey sense" got to a-tingling... so I grabbed it then and there, for two whole English pounds - sleeve a little worn around the edges, ring wear, and some small wear on the print on the cover, but the record inside, well that was stone cold mint!

And so, the story of the audio on the disc begins...

...Having got it home, I began to look into the background of this album online (as you do), and saw time and again that the most notable aspect of this first issue, and the reputation that comes with it, is how bad a pressing it is... that the music / audio is said to be very "muddy" sounding, and pretty lousy in general.

So I made a priority of getting it on the turntable, to see if it was so.

My disc, being mint, would reveal immediately if this was simply people just having a bad copy, or if the actual pressing of all copies was as bad as they say...

...And it is.... kind of...

Because the first thing I noticed is how quiet the audio is on the disc... from the outset, I had to turn up the volume to hear it at normal levels... The opposite of what you'd be aiming for in this kind of music, I'd have thought!

...This, in turn brought something else to the fore - the bass and drums at this volume begin to "womp - womp" along in an unsettling, and unpleasant way that starts to overwhelm the other instruments and vocals- both lead, and backing, which are very thin, even weak, and which, along with the guitars, get squashed almost to nothing the louder you try to go.

Of course, the easy thing to do is simply turn up the volume, and turn down the bass, on you kit, but this does nothing for the experience really, as now it sounds quite pasty and washed out.

So is this an unfathomably rare mis-step form the legendary Mr. Porky, pressing impresario extraordinaire... who just fouled up putting this music on the disc?
I'd say not, as these simple shortcomings are not entirely consistent across the album.

This, as they say, is where the plot thickens...

...As if it was down to Porky, logically, it should be consistently bad all the way through, but it isn't:

The whole of side 1 is the same in this sense, but it immediately strikes you, from the off, how much better side 2 is, well, at least the first four songs, sounding broader, louder, and crisper, and with the lead vocal being bolder... "Goin' Steady" drops back to the standard of the first side, before picking up again for the last track.
Now the other feature of this sound, is how "Demo-ish" this whole thing sounds, like the group all got together in a single small room and just jammed while someone recorded from one single fixed point: Drum and bass closest the mic(s), then further away, the guitar, then somehow, all the singing done at the far end of the room... but on the side 2 tracks, that improve the sound, it sounds like they are more professionally arranged and recorded, and with a different mic for the vocal (Has that almost through-a-megaphone quality to it).

So in a nutshell, it sounds generally a bit fusty, thin, and weak, under too strong bass and drums, but crucially it sounds like two separate recording sessions, both set up differently and with great differences in competence, that have later had their track orders rearranged for side 2 - so a track from a side1 session finds it's way on to side 2, jammed between the other side 2 sessions, and suffering by contrast, as a result. So you cannot really blame your man Porky here, he could only work with what he'd been given - a crap recording!

The saving grace of this, is in fact the type of music it is... it being Punk, the Done-It-Ourselves (Badly) quality can be thought of as quite in keeping with the idea and attitude they wanted to convey, and this would be simply horrendous if this was any other kind of music....That, and that this is fairly short album (32 mins or so) means the headache you would otherwise have had doesn't quite take hold.

Perhaps this pressing / issue is better thought of as an important punk era artefact, and bought - when bought - as that... But if it's the music you are after, best look to the later issues that sought to remedy these problems.

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I Liked Rush from the (very underrated) first album. I bought all of the albums as they were released. I was blown away by 2112 which was a fantastic album at the time (it hasn't worn as well as some of the others) When "A Farewell to Kings" came out I don't think I played 2112 for a few years. This album has some absolutely brilliant tracks with Xanadu being perhaps my all time favourite Rush track. It also has the concert favourite "Closer to the heart" and every other track was excellent........ Then came "Hemispheres" ..... What more can be said.

RIP Neal Peart perhaps the best drummer I have ever seen, and I've seen a few.

Several years ago someone relieved me of quite a few LPs - the original of this being one of them, so I bought another. I have a good idea who the thieiving rat was but alas had no proof.

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Behold, quite possibly one of the rarest Canadian pop rock records known to exist. For those who don't have the album and never had a chance to listen to it, this album is very different from their other tracks like August 32nd, Do It To 'Em and Jack Rabbit. If you've heard those tracks before, I hate to tell you but this album is way too soft to be on par like those ones.
Anyway, the album itself is decent for a pop rock record. It has some surprising hints of northern soul (the songs Eternally and Put You Down come to mind) and has a nice Beach Boys' cover of Little Honda. However, being able to find a copy is extremely scarce and can fetch a pretty penny. Nothing in absurd amounts of money compared to say an original pressing of The Haunted's debut album. Unfortunately, I'm unaware of any reissues of The Big Town Boys' only album known to exist, which makes it even more difficult. If you're on the lookout for this album, I wish you luck... If you happen to have it or somehow managed to get this for a decent price consider yourself lucky. (I obtained my copy awhile back for $40 in a pretty well worn condition. Luckily it still plays from start to finish without any hassle.)
Overall, if you're into Candian pop rock music (or just pop in general) consider giving it a listen sometime. Also a nice addition to your Capitol 6000 Series collection, especially since this is one of the rarest ones out there.

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I found a copy of this last year, and bought it impulsively.

...As I already have an original UK issue (With a 6E / 4E Matrix), with all the stuff that was famously edited out on later issues, and even contemporary issues for other countries, I didn't think I'd be missing much by stowing this on the shelf and forgetting about it, in order to prioritise other records on my listening schedule...

...But stumbling across it again on a tidying mission, I thought I'd give it a go, to see how much better the UK one was, and where this fell short. But to my utter astonishment -

This sounds better - much better - than the UK issue!

I'm talking about the sonics here, that even a non-audiophile will immediately notice, sit up, and go: "Wow... what the hell!"

Yes, it's missing the Morse bits in Starman, there's the drop outs, and a couple of other well documented quibbles, and yes, the UK issue does have more of a balanced, natural sound, but sonically - the soundstage, separation of instruments, detail, punch, and the use of the stereo field simply blows you away here.

Totally unexpected.

If only you could somehow meld the two issues together, in order to have the best of each - the completeness and open, naturalness of the UK one, with all the bits in there, but coupled with sounding like this in terms of the "Holy Cow!" factor, you'd have the definitive version I think.

...But certainly, having a copy of this Canadian one (not sure if the U.S copy is identical sounding to this) and the U.K. one is a recommended task of comparison for the curious at least, and those seeking definitive sounding issues of this monumental album.

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The Beach Boys' second album of 1965 marries the melodic sophistication of its predecessor, The Beach Boys Today!, with the carefree spirit of their earlier singles. The results practically make for a greatest-hits album, featuring classic, upbeat pop tunes like "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda," and "Let Him Run Wild." The Beatlesesque rocker "Girl Don't Tell Me" and the lush, romantic ballad "Summer Means New Love" mark the poles of Brian Wilson's increasingly wide-ranging style, while the sardonic "I'm Bugged at My Ol' Man" showcases his humorous side.

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I wrote a drear review of the ellpee in 1982 and reproduce it herein:

ALBUM COMMENTS
Even though the title is "20 Original Winners of 1964,"at least two are not from 1964. Tracks 11 and 20 are from 1963 and tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 13, 17, and 19 I have not been able to verify as from any year, though all could be easily 1964 records.

I would rate this LP 9.5 out of 10, it's one of my favourite albums. It features many Motown cuts, Motown-influenced stuff and generally good rocking pop rhythm and blues. My personal favourite is "California Sun" from the transplanted (from Indiana) Michigan group, the Rivieras. This is a definite proto-punk classic which should have been on Nuggets. In fact, it may be more than proto-punk, for the 70's punk legends, The Ramones even in 1977 cut this one. Also, in 1975 the seminal group from the Bronx, The Dictators went on to do the best version of this song that I have ever heard.

The Reflections semi-hit "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet" is also a proto-punk number, which was done by the 60's punk group Michael and the Messengers. The Messengers version did actually make it to Nuggets.

I think this LP, once again, throws out the window the theory that rock was dead between 1958 and 1964. Though it is common knowledge that rock was very strong regionally from 1958 to 1964 (especially in Tacoma-Seattle), this LP also demonstrates that plenty of exciting rock music was also happening on the national level.

In sum, a great compilation album is the result of Roulette's effort. One drawback (a common one among collections) is that the ellpee is shoddily packaged, though listing of original labels is nice.

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This is probably the Lou Christie album that would appeal to the widest range of listeners. Side one covers an excellent group of contemporary songs from the mid-60s, and Lou handles both ballads and uptempo numbers in fine fashion. Of particular note is an interesting and effective rendition of the Lennon-McCartney classic, “If I Fell”.

Side one is good, but the real fireworks start on side two with all six songs written by Lou and his partner Twyla Herbert. Five of the six feature his distinctive falsetto, and are filled with one killer hook after another. Aside from the falsetto, Lou has one of the great voices in pop music with an exciting sense of urgency. Both he and his partner knew how to tailor a song to his vocal strengths, and were at the top of their game here.

Side two is not just the the monster hit “Lightning Strikes” and five other also rans. There are at least two other selections on this side that have the word “hit” written all over them, plus three other very worthy album cuts (“Jungle”, “Baby We’ve Got To Run Away”, and “Diary”). Of particular note is Christie’s use of female background singers who play an essential part in his overall sound. This is as much of his trademark as is the falsetto, and adds an exciting element that is rare in most male vocals. The background harmonies on all songs are every bit as good as they are on “Lightning Strikes.” They are creative in ways that truly move a song along, and a pleasure in their own right.

Unfortunately MGM was a record company with lots of money coupled with almost no clue how to effectively promote an artist. The potential follow-up hits (“Trapeze” and “Cryin’ in the Streets”) got criminally buried on the b-side of Lou’s first two releases, and he was never able to build the kind of momentum necessary to sustain a singles artist back then for more than a couple hits at a time. Also, the failure to release and promote another a-side off the album undoubtedly did nothing to increase album sales.

This is my favorite Lou Christie album. On the strength of Side two alone, I would give the album a 9.

Recommend that you purchase the stereo album which provides a fuller highlight of the background vocals.

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Bob Lind is a name that is probably not familiar to anyone except hard core 60’s music fans. However, his one big hit, the self-penned “Elusive Butterfly” is one of the most outstanding singles of that decade. In late 1965, the pop world was captivated by the opening strains of “You might wake up some morning to the sound of something moving past your window in the wind.” The song is filled with one evocative phrase after another, and still sounds as fresh today as it did back then.

Generally speaking, one hit wonders do not usually release albums with any particular merit. “Don’t Be Concerned” is a complete exception to that rule. Mr. Lind not only has the soul of a poet, but also a strong melodic sense that serves each of the selections well. Aside from the throwaway “The World Is Just a B-Movie”, there’s not a weak cut among the other eleven.

Excellent production and arrangement by Jack Nitzsche.

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This another of my favourite albums, yes I do have a penchant for Organ music. On this LP you truly have a battle of the Organs with Grove and George on Guitar on the left speaker and Jimmy and Bernard on Guitar on the right speaker giving you a full Stereo experience.
There's some wonderful funky Jazz tracks with great Guitar, Drums and Conga backing.
Also a great sleeve especially on the rear with Jimmy and Groove looking Superfly.
Unbelievably you can still pick this LP up for under a tenner so what are you waiting for !

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10-12 superb tracks, with excellent vocals by bobby whitlock, superb and sometimes call-and-response matching, sometimes soloing, and occasionally harmonising lead guitars with duane allman arguably pulling some of eric clapton's finest and extended virtuoso performances out of him for a long time to come, all built upon a good, reliable rhythm & bass from jim gordon and ginger baker, who was relatively constrained, not often able to seize the spotlight with flashy drum solos, but still worth listening to for all that.

a classic album, and one of the very few double lps without a single duff track.

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I came into this album with low expectations. I had just listened to "Sing-Along Party" and "Freddie & His Dreaming Knights" back-to-back, so I had almost given up on the idea that there were any lost gems hidden in the grooves of the albums from this often forgotten era of the band. I was shocked to then find that this album is middlingly enjoyable, albeit in moderation.
"The Ugly Bug Ball" kicks this album off, and I'm surprised with how much life they kick into this one, it almost sounds like a real rock song. Mind you, I've never heard the original, so take this with a grain of salt.
"When You Wish Upon A Star" shows just how good of a singer Freddie could be. He may be overly-reliant on his mediocre falsetto, but he hits every note perfectly. The arrangement is also phenomenal, albeit nearly identical to the original.
"When I See An Elephant Fly" is a wonderful song with great lyrics, although that credit should go (begrudgingly) to Disney. I must say, I can easily see why Mr. Garrity went on to be a children's T.V. host, as his voice suits a song like this perfectly. The ending sounds somewhat ominous though, which is perfectly out of place on a song like this. Wonderful!
"Winnie The Pooh" is not the best Disney song IMO, but they do it alright, I guess.
"Chim Chim Cheree" If I had a nickel for every time that I've heard this song, I would have about $1.95, although it feels like I'd be a millionaire. To say that I'm sick of this song is an overstatement, but this version is nothing new.
"Heigh Ho" is the only song on this album that I had heard before, and it's easily the best thing on here. The off-key intro is brilliant, the harmonies are wonderful, the strings are beautiful, the horns are triumphant, and it's one of only two times on the album that we get any backing vocals (the other time being the final track) and I actually prefer this version to the original.
"The Unbirthday Song" is another song that I've never heard before, but I wish that I had. I do think that Freddie could've done with a few more takes, as he's a bit off in spots.
"The Siamese Cat Song" ignoring any outdated factors there are in this song, this just isn't very good to begin with. But I mean, come on! That accent? That won't fly under my roof. I expect better from you, Freddie, although at this point, I'm not sure why.
"Whistle While You Work" is one of the best songs every featured in a Disney movie, and is a perfect choice for this album. It's not as good as I want it to be, but it makes me think of simpler times, and I'm very young, so that's impressive. If you want a better version of this song, I highly recommend NRBQ's version.
"Give A Little Whistle" I used to think that this and the last song were the same song, and it's easy to see why. I may actually prefer this song to "Whistle While You Work", both with Disney, and with Freddie.
"The Ballad Of Dick Turpin" Never heard this one either, but I'm going to have to seek out the original. The arrangement is again wonderful, and for once, the guitar is given more of a chance to shine. It almost sounds like a real band at some points.
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" We all know how brilliant this song is, and so does Freddie. He delivers it perfectly, and so does everybody else on it. For once, Freddie's manic personality actually adds something to the song. It's energetic, fun, and makes a good finale.

Overall, this is a pretty good album, although there are very few instances where it sounds like the work of a Rock group. But comparing it to the band's other albums around this time, this a masterpiece, and yes, I'm aware of how ridiculous that may sound. And yes, it isn't actually that good. But seriously, those other albums are awful.

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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.

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Signature harmonies, the ‘70s rock scene, and Americana themes combine for a solid nine-song offering with virtually no assistance from Brian, thanks in part to the new addition of singer-guitarist Blondie Chapin and multi-instrumentalist Ricky Fataar. Frankly, long-time group members Carl Wilson (‘The Trader’) and Mike Love (‘California Saga’) have rarely been better. Highlights: “Sail on Sailor” “California Saga (Big Sur/Beaks of Eagles/California),” and “The Trader”

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What an album! I'm too young to remember how this album was received by the music press at the time of its original release. I first heard it in the 1980s myself.
Listening to the album again some 30 years later it has certainly stood the test of time well. A flawless collection of Townsend originals plus John Entwhistle's Boris The Spider and Whiskey Man plus a rare Roger Daltrey penned number, See My Way plus the Keith Moon numbers of course.
The album ends with the Pete Townshend epic, A Quick One While He's Away, an example of what was to follow with Tommy.
We mustn't forget the sole cover version of Holland-Dozier-Holland's Heatwave, a very faithful treatment I reckon is as good as the covers on The Beatles' Please Please Me album.
People say The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds was the album of 1966. I'd be the first to agree, but this album comes a joint second with The Beatles' Revolver in my view.

8 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful 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.

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My no. 1 guilty pleasure a great collection of disco/euro pop tunes. Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and Sorry, I'm A Lady are the two stand out tracks not surprising considering they were the mega hits.
But the others are worthy of a listen and show more Spanish influence.

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This recording has seldom been given its due because of constantly being in the shadow of "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance". Unlike the previous LP's mentioned, this one produced two big hits "Domino" and "Blue Money" and it doesn't end there. Check out "Crazy Face" and try to imagine Elvis belting out "Give Me A Kiss". This is one fine recording by a fiercely dedicated artist who ranks right up there with the best.

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Gary Rossington and Allen Collins got this band together to carry on the spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd allbeit with a female vocalist in the form of Dale Krantz. There are some excellent tracks on here, in fact there isn't a poor track on the album. The pick of the bunch are probably "Misery Loves Company" "Getaway" and "One Good Man" Dale Krantz is a fine singer for this type of stuff and there is some very nifty guitar work in the "Suvvern" vein. Well worth a listen 37 years on. Dale Krantz is now Dale Krantz-Rossington and tours with the modern day Lynyrd Skynyrd as a backing singer in the band.

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I saw this band a couple of times back in the day where they played songs from this and their only other album "Branching In" Both records were quite good with some nice singing and good songs. I've since got a CD with both albums on it "2 on 1" and it has not travelled well through time. It's very much of it's time and sounds very dated these days. Sadly the girl singer / songwriter, Krysia, is no longer with us.

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Cat Stevens made some very good pop singles in the mid to late 1960's. He also released two very good albums during this period. He was a prolific song writer and some of his material became hits for other artists. In 1969 he contracted tuberculosis and was hospitalised for a few months while recuperating. During this time his outlook on life changed and he wrote many more songs some of which appeared on this LP and on subsequent LPs.
When this was released it was like a breath of fresh air and it was at the time when singer songwriters were becoming prominent in the album charts. There are some excellently crafted songs on this LP and it remains my favourite Cat Stevens album. I played it to death, learning to play all the songs on guitar and still give the CD a regular spin (occasionally I get my guitar out and play along).

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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.

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This is good listening for the type of music. Nothing else on it is the caliber of Raunchy.
There are errors in the compilation due to the new owner not identifying the master tapes properly.
The Stranger is incorrect, it should say The Stinger. The Stranger was a soft vocal on the flip of College Man.
College Man is far from being the single master tape. It omits the intro vocal of "We hate college ....". The volume levels are faulty - it starts off too low and halfway the engineer raises it.
Raunchy is the correct single recording but not the single master. The volume has a wide range and the guitar does not have a strong impact. The single sounds better.
Many reissues now duplicate these errors and Raunchy does not have as good a reputation as it should.

I have posted a volume graph of Raunchy and College Man.

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Unfairly maligned by critics who likely never even gave this album a chance...

This is a pretty good album, and it has way more contributions from Brian than reviews would often have you believe. There is a definite tendency for publications to hate on Mike more than actually look at who is writing the songs. I know it was Mike who talked the group into recording the album where they did, thus giving the album it's name, but that is not too important really. You've got some strong cuts on here. The 70's flavor is definitely interesting, and very strong, but it's not so 70's that it's jarring and the songs don't suffer for it. I'd personally prefer the album start with the absolutely majestic cover of Come Go With Me and can't fathom what they were thinking by having the album start up with She's Got Rhythm instead, but it's not a bad track by any means. Highlights in my opinion include about half the whole album (Come Go With Me, Wontcha Come Out Tonight, Sweet Sunday Kind Of Love, Pitter Patter, My Diane, Match Point Of Our Love). My favorite track, as with a lot of later 70's albums by the boys, has a devastating lead vocal from Dennis, on "My Diane" which is about the sister of Brian's long time wife. I can't believe the man released that song, although he claims he doesn't remember the time frame of recording the album. I don't know if I buy that, but it certainly might explain a few things. Anyway, don't hate on it before you give it a listen. It's much better than it's given credit for.

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This is a really refreshing album full of wonderful melodies, harmonies and beautifully crafted songs. It is loud and thrashy at times with full-on aggressive guitars and at other times low key, soft with sweet voices. Kami Thompson (daughter of Richard & Linda Thompson) is the female voice in this duo who delivers a pure, sweet, at times haunting vocal. The male voice is her husband, James Walbourne who moonlights as the guitarist for The Pretenders with Chrissy Hynde (or does he moonlight for his own group?). At any right there are hints of The Pretenders in the sound and also hints of Kami's father's sound with the electric guitar given full prominence at times.

The duo's singing voices work beautifully together, weaving different melody lines in harmony, never both on the same note or octave. There's sufficient variety in the tracks to make each new song a new adventure, never the same twice. Without exaggeration I could play it for 24 hours non-stop, hearing new things in each play. This is a simply sublime album and I have it on CD and vinyl. I'm particularly fond of the vinyl version but the production is probably so good, the CD version will sound even better. The production really is VERY good, with orchestrations and full sound so that you feel smothered by the music (in a good way) and at the same time during the quiet moments, you're drawn towards the speakers to hear every sparse note.

You will not regret listening to this album!

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Well, 62 years later, it still clocks in at under half-an-hour.

Still could be questioned about all the riffs & chords sounding similar.

You might still even question how derivative of earlier jump-blues artists it is.

But, it still rocks,smokes and blasts out of the speakers just like it always did right from August 1957. No weak tracks, thank you, no fillers, just a human (probably!!) perpetual motion machine, even just on vinyl, blasting a sort of rock 'n' roll Mount Rushmore, with 12 faces this time.

Heaven:-I'm glad I've had a copy nearby ever since, as I was only 5 when it first came out, and I don't recall many successful attempts at playing it on the recorder at infants school-just goes to show you can't beat the original!

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This Special Record Store Day Reissue has the Rare Prince Extended Version of Pop Life. It is not a dance remix, it is true to the original, containing additional lyrics not use on the original album version. Paisley Park Remix is exclusive to this album as well and also contains additional lyrics not use on the album version. These tracks alone is worth the price of admission. Even with all the previously released songs, how can you go wrong?

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I had a chance to hear this album for the first time recently and I have to say I was very impressed. Much like the much-later Mad Disco, the key to the album's success is, yes, it's a parody - but it's played straight. These songs are straight up rock n' roll and pop, and really just the lyrics give away the fact it's a spoof. And even then, it's hard to tell. For example, "My Johnny's Hub Cap", sung by Jeanne Hayes, is a legitimately haunting ballad where a girl mourns for her boyfriend after his death in a drag race. If you replaced the word "hub cap" with something a little less bizarre (say "ball cap"), you'd have a straightforward "teenage tragedy" ballad. Possibly the most fascinating track - when listened to in retrospect - is "Pretzel" which is a very funny spoof of dance crazes, describing a physically impossible move. It's performed in the style of Roy Head - the singer sounds very much like him - and those who have seen video of him perform know his style of dancing while performing songs like "Treat Her Right" could best be described as "Pretzel"-like! But here's the thing: this album came out in 1962 and Roy Head and "Treat Her Right" wouldn't come along for several more years! Did someone at Mad get hold of a time machine?

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"Come to Me" is a #1 disco hit from 1979 performed by France Joli, who had recorded it at the age of fifteen with producer, Tony Green, who composed the song and briefly sings on it. The track also features the famed Philadelphia session vocalists, The Sweethearts of Sigma Sound. The song was introduced on the album France Joli (1979 album), which was released in the US on 17 April 1979 on Prelude, and rose to #26. "Come to Me" received a major boost on 7 July when Joli performed it as a last minute replacement for Donna Summer at a concert held on Fire Island, whose estimated audience numbered 5,000.[citation needed] "Come to Me" began a three-week reign atop the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart on 22 September 1979.[1] "Come to Me" peaked at #15 on the Hot 100 and at #36 on the R&B chart.[2]
[YouTube Video]

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