Grego Applegate Edwards Blogs on About Guitars, Music and Musicians

August 7, 2008—Mott the Hoople had their day in the sun and went the way of most Rock bands. . . all eventually. Along the way they cut some wax that still sounds worthy and has importance in the history of the music. My favorite was their first, with the MC Escher cover, because it had some raw power unduplicated in later releases. They were one of the first of Post-Stone groups and one of the best. Their third album (I think) “London to Memphis” (Collectables) was another good one. “All the Way from Memphis” and “All the Young Dudes” give you the band in all its glory. The Collectables issue is going for cheap, so now is the time to grab it. Signing off -- Grego

August 6, 2008—Italian Prog Rock band DFA releases their fourth CD (“DFA Fourth”) (MoonJune) this summer. It marks a bit of a change in direction from a sort of post-Yes Rock and vocals orientation to a more Fusion oriented approach. This one, like the others, shows off some excellent musicianship. There are really excellent moments, and a few moments that don’t completely overwhelm. It is a more subtle album than the previous ones, less hard, more in the mellow bag. For those familiar with the last three, this will add another dimension to their body of work. For those new to the band, one of the earlier ones is a better place to start, I think. They remain one of the more interesting Prog Rock bands active today. Signing off -- Grego

August 5, 2008—Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks had some success in the late ‘60s following in the wake of Kweskin’s Jugband and a music world flirtation with the music of the ‘20s (the latter with some perhaps ill-advised hits like “Winchester Cathedral” and “Little White Lies.”) Hicks had a casually irreverent, humorous delivery that had charm. A couple years ago he made a comeback disk (“Selected Shorts”) (Surfdog) and it’s pretty cool. First of all, something I didn’t notice in the early records, he plays a mean archtop acoustic-electric, sounding a little like Django. He has sound and facility. The tunes are done laconically and with irony by Hicks and his tongue-in-cheek backup vocalists. It is mostly contemporary material in a kind of swing-string band ‘30s style. "Selected Shorts" is the sort of disk that lifts the mood. I hope he records again soon. He is at the top of his creative powers and a real pleasure to hear. Signing off -- Grego

August 4, 2008—The Rock world in 1972 was in turmoil. Some of the classic late ‘60s bands had faded, victims of various misfortunes or stagnancy. Punk was in its incipient stages, Disco had not quite begun its pollution of the music scene, Fusion was beginning to enter a commercial phase that eventually ruined it for a time, Progressive Rock was still pretty strong, but the germination of the seeds of excess were planted. What about plain old Rock? New bands were appearing, some better than others. One of those better ones was Blue Oyster Cult. Their first, self-titled album (Columbia) appeared in January of 1972 and did not set the world on fire, but in retrospect deserves a listen. They had a Hard Rock edge and some solid material, even on that first offering. The CD sounds timeless; the style still lives on. The record is now going for cheap and it includes four bonus tracks—demos that landed them the record deal. Surprisingly decent. Signing off -- Grego

August 1, 2008—Here’s a new Rock-Pop conflagration that has crossed my desk. O.A.R. is their name [album: “In Between Now and Then” (Atlantic)] and they vary between a kind of bouncy Jason Mraz sound and almost a jamband without much in the way of the jams. Electric guitar, acoustic-electric, bass, drums and tenor sax underpin the vocals. Some of the stuff is catchy. Instrumentally they are not incompetent. I suppose they could be big. Late teens and college age folks will decide that, I guess. Signing off -- Grego

July 31, 2008—Electric guitarist, bandleader, conceptualist Marc Ribot has been a darling of the downtown NYC scene for some time. So why am I just catching up with his 1999 album “I Killed Your. . .” (Tzadik)? No reason, just haven’t until now. He plays with a quartet live on this one, sometimes plus or minus a few musicians. There is a jagged, cubist, post Captain Beefheart thing happening, some raving rave-up punk insanity, along with an anything goes approach to avant Rock that uses no safety net and sometimes succeeds wonderfully, sometimes falls 100 feet into a glass of water (remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon with that feat?). So those receptive will appreciate this. Those not predisposed will probably hate it. He can play, for sure, in his own way. The spirit of sarcastic fun prevails. It’s worth picking up if you like edgy Rock with a kind of irreverent, macabre humor. Signing off again -- Grego

July 30, 2008—Jaco Pastorious revolutionized the way the electric bass could be played. No one before him had the technique, and a new sound that ranged from percussive to distinctively expressive. He accepted the role of the instrument as the bottom foundation of a musical spectrum, then added solo and accompaniment styles that made the bass guitar as fully a musical instrument as any guitar, keyboard, or reed instrument. Nobody utilized the entire range of the instrument as he did. He could go from rapid single note articulations to full chords and harmonic clusters in a snap, always with a sound that could be mistaken for no other.

He ruled, surely. Then he ran into personal problems, died tragically, and all we have left are the recordings. Much of the choice stuff can be found on Rhino’s two-CD set “Punk Jazz: The Jaco Pastorious Anthlology.” Now I can’t help feeling that some of the excerpts deserved to be heard in the context of complete albums—the Albert Mangelsdorf, the early Pat Metheny album, the first Jaco solo album, the wonderful collaborations with Joni Mitchell. But if for whatever reason you only want one example, this is probably it. The set covers his entire (short) career, from the first R&B recordings through Weather Report and on to his later big band recordings. The very first and very last things aren’t always as great as the middle period, but it all represents Jaco well for his inimitable bass prowess. Signing off -- Grego

July 29, 2008—In 1965 bassist Henry Grimes was seemingly in a good place in the Jazz world. He had played with more than a few of the classic Jazz artists and was especially in demand in Avant circles. But a few years later he literally disappeared from the music world; Grimes stopped playing altogether, leading a day-to-day life far removed from his former existence. He ended up in San Francisco where he was rediscovered a few years ago, given a bass and is now back on the scene. He recorded one album in his own name back in the sixties and ESP has wisely decided to reissue it as part of their extensive revival. “The Call” is a trio with clarinet, bass and drums, the great Perry Robinson taking the reed spot. It is a mini-gem of “New Thing” music, controlled, thought-provoking and filled with miniature classics. Robinson is in top form, Grimes right there with him. Drummer Tom Price plays freely and sets up the improvisations of the two masters with sensitivity. This is "out" music with a soul and a brain. It sounds as contemporary now as it did in 1965. Tomorrow, we extend the bass playing theme with some Jaco. Signing off -- Grego

July 28, 2008—About a year ago a Rock-Pop-Alt band released “Everything Last Winter” (Atlantic). The group is Fields and they are very good indeed. It’s one of those bands whose vocals (vaguely Byrds-like), songs, and instrumental abilities are all first rate. The lyrics have intelligence. It is a band that has everything going for it. Expect solid acoustic and electric guitar cranking and crisp drum and bass tandems. The production jumps out at you. I hope they continue on and get the success they deserve. Check them out. Signing off -- Grego

July 25, 2008—After 13 CDs under their belt, you’d think that the California Guitar Trio would have spent their musical capital and gone separate ways, as is the case with so many musical groups today. Not so. Their association with Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists must have given them the sort of inspiration that allows them to fashion a large repertoire of music over time. Like Fripp’s guitar ensemble, the trio deftly arranges for what is at hand, and they perform with a blend of acoustic and electric guitars that speak as one musical body.

The new release, “Echoes” (Inner Knot), is a rather zany, eclectic assortment of re-creations. Some examples: part of Beethoven’s Fifth (which seems unnecessary), an old Pink Floyd psychedelia, the theme from “Tubular Bells,” a great old Ventures surf tune, and an arrangement of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which actually works out quite alright. Like the Chronos Quartet, they seem to take pleasure in combining unexpected pieces from various categories and giving them new life with clever guitar arrangements. That’s fine, but I’d like to see them break out of that mould and do something unique and of a piece, like a Frank Zappa extended composition rearranged for the ensemble, or something by one of the prominent minimalists. I don’t mean to be picky since the level of musicianship is high. In any event this is an enjoyable set and will appeal to anyone who wants to hear a lot of guitar in a free ranging setting. Signing off -- Grego

July 24, 2008—When you think of early Free Jazz reed players circa 1964, you probably don’t immediately think of Giuseppi Logan. He did not make much of a mark and virtually disappeared soon after that time. ESP Disk released two records by Mr. Logan, the initial one made in ‘64. Simply titled “The Giuseppi Logan Quartet,” the first record was not especially notable for Logan’s playing, although his writing had a nice tang. More importantly the backing musicians on that date were embarking on the first phases of very productive careers in the music. Don Pullen is on piano, and already is in full force attack mode. Eddie Gomez wields an energetic and limber upright bass and Milford Graves (see July 22 entry) plays the drum kit with the dynamic style that distinguishes him from other drummers at the time. Graves never got the prolonged recognition he deserved, though he did create his own approach in the panorama of Free Jazz drum possibilities. This newly reissued album is not a classic. It does have great interest as a historical document and also gives you a challenging listen. Tomorrow we take a look at an all-guitar group of interest. Signing off -- Grego

July 23, 2008—If you go to a bricks and mortar CD store and they are thorough enough to have a bin dubbed “Africa,” you are likely to find almost anything, from traditional tribal to slick “World Music” releases veering on disco at their worst. It makes sense though. If you were in an African store and looked in a bin labeled “USA,” what consistency would you expect to find at that level? Be that as it may, if you found the CD “Brownboi” (Nonesuch-Tama) in that African bin, you would have an offering by female singer Rokia Traore that straddles the fence between tradition and modern in a way that does not lose the continuity of possible styles in play. She sounds West African; there are West African harps and the percussion has the sound of that region. As is all-too-often the case, there are no liner notes to explain what this is. No matter. We get western strings occasionally, well arranged, a nice acoustic guitar presence, and a very good singer singing strong material. I don’t know if she is big over there or not, but this CD encourages me as far as what a modern African music can sound like. It retains the roots and adds modern colors of western derived styles without diluting the original impetus. In other words it sounds good! Signing off -- Grego

July 22, 2008—Does the rolling thunder and cracking rim shots of a freely articulated, out of time drum duet make your blood boil, at least potentially? If so the Milford Graves Percussion Ensemble with Sunny Morgan is a classic pioneering effort in that vein from 1965. ESP has just reissued it. The two players are after pure sound and dramatic bombast and they succeed completely. It’s a drummer’s holiday from the need to accompany. They surely rise to the occasion. Kudos to ESP for these reissues! Signing off -- Grego

July 21, 2008—Bands that evolve are potentially interesting—or not, depending on where they are going. Case in point: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. They started out riding the crest of the Brian Setzer Jump-Boogie revival. By the time the CD on the changer right now [“Save My Soul” (Big Bad, 2003)] came out, they had augmented that with what sounds like New Orleans party music. Well, they seem to try hard, but it falls short. There aren’t enough cajones in the vocals, for starters. And it just doesn’t lie comfortably on the speakers. It doesn’t sound quite “real.” Signing off -- Grego

July 18, 2008—Concerned with the history of all musics and with what’s going on now, I always seem to have one foot in the past and the other in the future. So when a group comes along that incorporates earlier Rock stylings with a contemporary outlook, I take notice. So a little more Alt here with a CD released a few years ago. I don’t know much of anything about the Coral. I was streaming a progressive web radio station when they played one of their cuts, which had a bit of jamming and I liked that. The CD turned out to be “Magic and Medicine” (Columbia) and it has a bonus disk of two of their earlier EPs. They have an attractive, rawly conceived ‘60s-meets-today sound. The tunes are not especially strong, but instrumentally I like what they are doing. I wonder where they will go from this? Signing off -- Grego

July 17, 2008—Guitarist-singer-songwriter Fish released his 13th album this summer. Who knew there were that many? Some were made with his original band affiliation Marillion, the rest solo. This one, “13th Star,” combines a Prog sensibility with almost a Cat Stevens song-singing approach and some harder Rock elements. It has an expansive sweep, with the theme a journey through life. It has a nice feel to it. If you like your Prog serious, yet with an occasional slight Pop veneer, here you go. Signing off -- Grego

July 16, 2008—Who combines a little Prog Rock/Alt with Industrial, Electronica and a little House? I suppose several folks do, but FLA has the immediacy of a CD on my computer with the EP “Vanished.” (Metropolis). There are so many clichés, so many temptations to banality with a project like this. But whoever these guys are, they don’t succumb. They have an edgy outlook and it makes an amalgam like this interesting rather than a dull commodity so much music product can be today. Signing off again -- Grego

July 15, 2008—Italian composer Ennio Morricone has written and scored hundreds upon hundreds of movie soundtracks since the sixties. Everybody knows his theme from “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly,” but there is far more to him than that. MOMA affiliate PS1 in Long Island City, NY, has devoted a three hour retrospective to his music on their web radio at www.wps1.org. Go to “Archives,” go to “Sonarama” and then scroll down to “The Music of Ennio Morricone” and click. If you have the time, you are in for some amazing music: Rock with interesting guitar riffs, modern Classical orchestral, Big band Jazz, Experimental, and just plain weird. He’s done some amazing things, most of which are obscure and/or out of print. Don’t miss this if you want to explore some unknown tracks. Signing off -- Grego

July 14, 2008—English Prog Rock is alive and most well. It can be heard in one of the finest new bands, Magenta, who have their fourth album out this summer. “Metamorphosis” (Laser’s Edge). It is an expanded, dark gothic sprawl of wonderful music. Long cuts of beautiful, well arranged songs fill the CD. Christina Booth is a sensitive vocal instrument that gives the music a real identity. Chris Fry plays a great lead guitar. The lyrics fit the mood of the era. Nice string arrangements add symphonic resonance to the soundscape. It’s simply one of the best Prog Rock albums I’ve heard this year. If you like the edge of Evanescence and the classic elegance of Renaissance, here’s a band that does them one better. Grab it and you will not be disappointed. Singing and signing off -- Grego

July 11, 2008—There is a guitarist out there named Jamie Fox and he is very good. He has an album out called “When I Get Home” that I reviewed earlier for Cadence Magazine, so I won’t go into detail about that, except to say that it is very subtle contempory Jazz in a kind of post-Metheny bag. It has really good tunes and nice playing. Go to his website www.jamiefoxguitar.com and check out clips from that and other things as well. If you listen to the R&B/Blues cuts there, you’ll hear another aspect of his playing and some fabulous solos that stand out for their originality. Signing off -- Grego

July 10, 2008—The Band Ozric Tentacles celebrates its 25th year with a stunning release [“Sunrise Festival” (Snapper)] that combines the old fashioned blow-out space jam with very effective use of synthesizers and Ed’s phenomenal psychedelic-metal guitar presence. It was recorded live at the Sunrise Festival June 2007 in Bearley, England. There’s a CD and a DVD of the show in a nice booklet form. It rocks! Anyone into the outer echelons of the jamband scene needs this one! Cascades of sound wash through your consciousness in wave after wave. It’s really well done. Get it. Signing off -- Grego

July 9, 2008—Today’s CD will not be winning any awards. Rock drummer David Winograd heads a jamming unit on “Pictures at an Existentialism” (Wondercap). Mostly there are drums, reeds and piano. The result is what you might expect from a free jam by rockers. It has moments of interest and even though it is not electric until the end, it often sounds like some free interludes you might hear on a Prog Rock album. And that is fine. It is charming in how it does not sound like Free Jazz. The last cut sails (and I wish Winograd had done more of it). It is a sort of free metal thing, with Davie Allen on blazing guitar and D. J. Bonebrake (from X) on vibes, among others. That cut is very cool. Signing off -- Grego

July 8, 2008—Hugh Hopper, the electric bassist who impressed the musical community through his pioneering bass work with Soft Machine beginning in the late sixties, shows that he can remain on the bleeding edge of the music with his latest release, a collaboration with keyboardist and vocalist Yumi Hara Cawkwell. “Dune” (MoonJune) maps out aural landscapes that are populated with ambient, flowing sound events. Hopper’s bass playing is adventurous. Effects, loops, layering and a distinct, cosmic-oriented tonal arsenal are well in hand on this disk. Yumi provides a suitable and compelling stylistic counterpart with a chant-like vocal style steeped in Eastern sensibility and a keyboard approach that goes from drone to free articulations. This is Free Rock, I suppose you could say. There are no beats to speak of, but every piece is a miniature world of sound that evokes mind journeys to far away and exotic spaces. It is as dream provoking as it is musically provocative. Signing off -- Grego

July 7, 2008—I’ve been catching up on some alt Rock classics, as anybody who’s been reading the blog knows. Now I’ve been putting my ears to “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” by Flaming Lips (Warner Brothers). OK the subject matter is intriguing, as is the cool cartoon on the cover. But the music seems just a little limpid, like a soundtrack to an anime cartoon. It’s music to accompany something. But what? I shouldn’t be too hard on these folks. At least it’s creative. And maybe I haven’t listened enough yet. Still, this cannot be said to be a classic. It has the Pop jangle. Some prog moments. Sometimes it sounds like prog bubble gum, something for a 9 year old to dig. “Tommy” for pre-teens? Not my thing, but they try pretty hard. Signing off -- Grego

July 3, 2008—Turntablists are OK. Just OK. Sometimes they seem to have become formulaic. The same old squeaks and gurgles. But the Cut Chemists take it much further into creative stratospheres. They bring the cutting, mixing and adding of original instruments and vocals to the realm of pop art. “The Audience’s Listening” (Beatdown) combines all of these elements with a sense of humor and some wake-up musical moments. Brazilian Samba transformed, Rock and HipHop literally re-formed. . . and some moments that are simply zany. I am not generally one to go for this sort of thing. The Cut Chemists convince me that all cannot be said to be lost. Musical imagination still thrives out there in some places, whatever the medium. Signing off -- Grego

July 2, 2008—Take ex-King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto and German multi-instrumentalist and touch guitarist Markus Reuter and you have the nucleus of the group Tuner. Their first release “Totem” (2005) has just been reissued on Unsung Records. It is a wildly wide-ranging Prog Rock journey through all sorts of moods and modes. There are some Crimson-like Rock forays, a wonderful spot for synthesized voice, and one of the musically hottest accompanied Rock drum solos I’ve heard in a long time. It’s most definitely a sonic excursion that should not be missed, if you like the Prog Rock thing. Signing off -- Greg

July 1, 2008—Something old? I’ve been listening to a Zombies Greatest Hits CD (Disky) and as usual with the bargain compilations, when they don't have enough hits, they throw in songs that people have heard of, but weren’t made famous by the artist. Nevertheless, there are the old chestnuts “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No” and “Time of the Season,” along with seven other group originals. That makes ten out of fourteen, which is OK. The group sounds so sparse by today’s standards. Bass, drums, keys, and a guitar most of the time, and that’s it. No double tracking or extra instruments....The originals still wear well to me, although there were other British groups that were more prolific. These sorts of oldies may or may not appeal to generations following the peak time for the style. I think the Kinks (early, at least), Stones and Beatles can still appeal to younger listeners. Not so sure about guys like the Dave Clark Five or The Searchers. Nostalgia is one thing, longevity in the history of music is another. But the Zombies still have their moments for today, I believe. Signing off -- Grego

June 30, 2008—Something new? There’s a Prog-Rock-Pop band named Moonbound that has some catchy tunes. It’s the hook oriented, guitar Pop, romantic lyrics sort of music that has a vaguely retro flavor. These tracks were the brainchild of Euro-producer musician Fabio Trentini and there is a well wrought quality to the whole. It has that British sort of sound. Vocals are out front and the level of song quality is high. The album is called “Confession and Release” (Unsung). For July, I’ll be delving into more new Rock and some classics and whatever rattles through my music system. Until then – Grego.

June 27, 2008—Spin ahead to 2001 and another XTC release, “Home Grown” (Idea). By now it’s just Partridge and Moulding. This is a collection of demo recordings, one offs, and trial versions of songs. It’s mostly guitars with a little keyboard and drums. What strikes me hearing this is that you would recognize the strength of their writing even at the most elementary production levels, and you do. It’s not exactly a must have. There are some nice things. Until later -- Grego

June 26, 2008—It is funny how one can look back at personal listening patterns. I find that certain groups and styles enter my life in fits and starts. It’s not always that I reject something or have given up on it. (Although that happens, too.) I often just get distracted. XTC, for example, I came upon a little late, loved them, then got involved in other things and missed what they did after 1990. I am now just getting around to their 1991 “Nonsuch” (Geffen). It is perhaps not as haunting as some of the earlier ones; there is a more minimal, bare bones approach to instruments. The songs are still as quirky as ever, with an Art Rock vision that juxtaposes Pop and more heady styles as a sort of extension of what Brian Wilson has been after at times. Partridge is king of the insightful or deliberately bland lyric and comes up with the musical equivalent of such a contrast in his arrangements. They haven’t always had huge success. I guess some people have trouble figuring out where to “put” them. “Nonsuch” has an assortment of strong pieces. “The Smartest Monkeys” is a killer. I do miss the more symphonic rock-orchestral richness of the middle period albums like “Skylarking,” but nonetheless it is great to have more to hear by these folks. Time eventually to catch up on the ones after this. Signing off -- Grego

June 25, 2008—Matador Records has been a presence in this decade for Alternative Rock, Post-Post-Neo-Post, or whatever you want to call the kind of Rock that can be raw, chancy, slickly subversive, retro in a post sort of way, metal with a brain, and other things too. Their anthology “Matador at Fifteen” contains an overview of their releases between 1999-2004. Of course, it is selective (how could it not be?). There's a CD of greatest hits by folks like Mission of Burma, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, and Mogwai. There’s a CD of unreleased material, remixes and rarities. And there’s a DVD of videos. Now I know I am archaic, but Rock videos don’t generally do much for me, and so I watched with less enthusiasm than some people might. The music, however, pulled me in and held me there. This is Rock that can get attention and still be on the creative edge. What’s the use of one without the other? Signing off -- Grego

June 24, 2008—Another mid-‘60s gem resurrected by ESP was recorded as the soundtrack for Michael Snow’s film “New York Eye and Ear Control.” Released under that same title, the recording gives you a full blown Free jam by some of the legendary practitioners of the era—Don Cherry, Albert Ayler, Roswell Rudd, etc. No, no guitars. There weren’t very many guitarists in the free stable then. That would come later. Sonny Sharrock was one of the first, but he’s not on this. What is here is a volcanic mixture of state-of-the-art free madness. Listen with an open mind and you’ll be transported. Listen without that and the destination will be an aural hell! Signing off -- Grego

June 23, 2008—In 1965 ESP released pianist Paul Bley’s “Closer.” It was a rather short but very succinct album that featured Steve Swallow on bass and Barry Altschul on drums. Bley was in the earlier part of his career but had already been influential as a musician that combined the freedom of post-Ornette ensembles with an introspective musical stance. The album has recently been re-released and it still sounds modern. There are little gems of improvisation throughout. Songs by Carla Bley, Annette Peacock, Ornette and Bley himself give the listener a whirlwind tour through the pianist’s trio conception and the interaction between group members would create a model for what could be done in the free piano trio context for years to come. Signing off -- Grego

June 20, 2008—With the resurrection of ESP Records has come the welcome reissue of some early Free Jazz classics. I will touch upon a few in the next week or so. First of all, ESP for those who don’t know was one of the first underground labels to come out of the ‘60s and the burgeoning New York world of beats, bohemians, the avant-garde Jazz community and such. One of the more important releases was actually recorded in Italy. Steve Lacy made a stir in the ‘50s Jazz world as the only important new soprano sax player since Sidney Bechet exploded out of New Orleans in the ‘20s (actually Bechet was even earlier, but not with big recognition until then). John Coltrane took up the soprano with great results by around 1960, but before that, absolutely no one was playing it but Steve. After some critically acclaimed dates with Cecil Taylor and Roswell Rudd in the fifties and beyond, Lacy became an expatriate in the mid-sixties and recorded “The Forest and the Zoo” at the beginning of that period. It was his first truly “free” recording and sported a wonderful quartet that included Enrico Rava on trumpet. The album consists of two long interrelated sides of loose but probing improvisations. The whole group gets a sound that uniquely communicates and Lacy is a puckish presence throughout. Having heard this recording for so many years it is hard for me to reconstruct a first-time experience for someone today. I can say that one can listen to the record many times and get more out of it as one goes. That is, if one has an open mind. Any musician or music lover who wants to understand where modern music has come from would benefit from repeated listenings. That’s all for now -- Grego

June 19, 2008—Janis Joplin or Tracy Nelson? In my vinyl treasure hunt of the last several years, I’ve reacquired some records by those two principal divas of the late ‘60s Rock world. Of course everyone knows Janis Joplin. She had big hits, was hailed as the new Bessie Smith, etc. Her first album with Big Brother and the Holding Company (Mainstream) (1967?) is rather uneven. They were a less than proficient psychedelic band grafted onto Joplin’s enormous voice and in those days she wasn’t featured on all the numbers. Much of the music sounds dated in a charming way. The band was pretty awful. “Women is Losers” is my favorite cut on the LP because Joplin doesn’t try too hard, a problem I think she increasingly fell into.

Tracy Nelson, on the other hand had a natural gift that she used with deceptively facile ease. She had a big voice like Joplin, but it flowed with musical nuances Joplin didn’t possess. Nelson started out with the Rock band Mother Earth and they mixed a Rock approach to R & B as well as Country. Their third album (Reprise) brings her to the forefront consistently and still sounds great. Her first two solo albums, self titled (Atlantic) (1972) and Sweet Soul Music (MCA) (1973) have been back on my turntable since I dug them up in a vinyl-only shop I usually frequent when and if I have money. (I don’t now). The first Atlantic album has a killer version of her “Down So Low” that gives you an idea of her enormous talent. “Sweet Soul Music” has a gem of a cut in “Going Back to Tennessee.” I believe she is still active but I don’t know how (can’t always keep up). Listen to her at her best and I believe you’ll see she was the queen of the Rock divas back then. Signing off -- Grego

June 18, 2008—Bjork has made some daring inroads into the Rock-Pop scene over the past decade. It’s taken a while, but I am just now giving a serious listen to her 2004 “Medulla” release (Elektra). It is even more vocal-centered than some of her earlier work. Many of the cuts are her overtracked or with other vocalists and that’s it. Plenty don’t have much in the way of “beat.” But hey, she’s created a unique musical universe that has an edge and what’s wrong with that? I detect some world influences, such as Eskimo Game Songs, throughout, and that’s a good thing. Cross-pollination of styles can change the face of what’s out there, sooner or later, and sometimes it seems we need to extend what we all share one way or another when vibrating the musical air, whether electronically or directly. In short, one can get sick of the same old stuff. Signing off -- Grego

June 16, 2008—And what about John Butler? Here is somebody who can appeal while keeping musical levels high. He plays a very decent guitar, mostly acoustic, likes to jam a bit, writes nice songs, and sings well. His Jarrah EP “What You Want” shows all that in mini-abundance. Signing off -- Grego

June 13, 2008—Noise. Free Jazz. Out electric guitar. Electric guitarist Bruce Eisenbeil, bassist Tom Blancarte and drummer Andrew Drury give you the update on these musical categories in their newly released recording as Totem, “Solar Forge” (ESP). This is probably not music of which your grandmother would approve. It’s a whole CD-load’s worth of experimental collages and explorations in the sounds one can make with this instrumental configuration. For that it is an excellent recording. They’ve clearly worked hard to get a consistent approach to new sounds. If you think it is easy, try it yourself! Not, of course, everybody’s cup of tea. By the way, buy a guitar from me and help me pay my family’s doctor bills! Signing off -- Grego

June 11, 2008—And then there were the fringe lunatic groups in 1967. The Fugs were perhaps the most notorious, starting with several albums on ESP that shocked kids like me back then. The music was crude and the lyrics? I sure was not ready for their brand of Village satire. Nor was my friends' father, who broke my copy of the second album in half (no easy task) when he heard what his son was listening to. Steve Weber and Pete Stamfel were charter members of the group, providing much of the instrumental grounding for the first few albums. They spun off as The Holy Modal Rounders, releasing “Indian War Whoop” in ’67 on ESP. It has just been reissued and it sounds as off the wall as it did then. There are traditional string band songs, old risqué blues numbers and some downright bizarre moments. I don’t think anyone would call it a classic. Still, it may amuse you, if you appreciate what was on the edge during that era. Otherwise, best to stay away! Signing off -- Grego

June 10, 2008—The Progressive Rock scene in 1967 and 1968 was a time when bands either established legendary status in the history of the music or more or less went unheralded and disappeared in short order, even if they contributed to the overall gestalt of the sound of those days. The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, for example, was one of the latter, though they deserved attention. Ultimate Spinach, The Beacon Street Union, The Blue Things, The Id, and Loading Zone were a few others. Then there was a Canadian band, the Collectors, who produced two albums for Warner Brothers: the self-titled album (1967) and “Grass and Wild Strawberries” (1968). CD reissues of these two LPs came out a couple of years ago. I am not sure if they are still in print. The group had the progressive guitar, keys, winds, bass, drums lineup and they took some chances. The first album had a long suite called “What Love,” which was ambitious though a little pretentious. The second album had a back to the earth sort of theme. Both were well crafted musically and certainly bear repeated listening—if you like the music of that era. Signing off -- Grego

June 9, 2008—Combinations of poetry and music can be great or just awful. Much has to do with, of course, the appropriateness and listenable qualities of the music vis-à-vis the poetry. Dan Kaufman has compiled a set of post-Fusion music that is inspired by, and includes recitations of, the poetry of Paul Celan. (“Force of Light”) (Tzadik Records). The CD works on the ideal level: the poetry illuminates the music and vice versa. This is a sober look at the 20th century from a poetic yet tragic Jewish point of view. It is seen as lacking in almost every respect. May we do better in this age beyond. Prepare to be moved. Signing off -- Grego

June 4, 2008—The island of Sunda in West Java, Indonesia, was and probably still is the site of a form of music and dance called Jaipong. Between 1979 and 1986, female vocalist Idjah Hadidjah and a small group of Gamelan instrumentalists went into the studio to record an updated version of this musical genre. Those recordings have been re-released on Nonesuch Explorer as “Sundanese Jaipong and Other Popular Music.” The cuts were hits in Indonesia at the time, but to Western ears they don’t sound at all like Pop. The musical language follows the basic path of the modes and rhythms of Javanese Gamelan, but the forms are shorter and vocalist Hadidjah is at the forefront, as are often the drummers. It’s a graceful sound simultaneously charged with Eros, which fits with the tradition. I found the whole CD very easy on my years, but nonetheless filled with musical substance. And the vocals are stunning. Signing off -- Grego