Wednesday

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (REISSUES AND ANTHOLOGIES) By Michael McDowell

 CD AND LP REISSUES / ANTHOLOGIES (PLUS BOOKS)
(REVIEWS ARE POSTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST)


WINTER WONDERLAND: Veteran sibling band, the COWSILLS has led the way for the 2023 Christmas season with a digital EP of archival and new material, A Christmas Offering From The Cowsills. Editor/Publisher Michael McDowell explores and celebrates this wonderful celebration of the Christmas season via their trademark vocal harmony euphoria below (Click on above imaege to enlarge). 

THE LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE:
THE DEFINITIVE COLLECION - 
Bucks Fizz (Cherry Pop)

Letting the mainstream media dictate your musical taste for you can be limiting in a variety of ways.

Consider the prolific and pioneering Baton Rouge, Louisiana group, John Fred And The Playboy Band. Led by the late John Fred Gourrier, the ambitious ensemble recorded a dozen albums and more than thirty singles for such labels as Montel, Jewel, Paula, Uni and Bell. Their 1964 Boogie Children 45 for Jewel is widely considered one of first generation garage rock's definitive masterpieces. In turn, their 1967 Agnes English album for Paula is treasured as a pioneering example of the garage rock / rhythm and blues hybrid. 

But from the mainstream media perspective, John Fred And The Playboy Band's lone moment worthy of widespread consideration was their very atypical late 1967 single for Paula, Judy In Disguise (With Glasses). A good natured spoof of the Beatles' Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, the disproporionately high amount of exposure afforded Fred's disc by the mainstream media ultimately left the band with the very misleading legacy of being a novelty group bereft of the potential for longevity. Paula Records tried to right the situation in early 1968 with the band's back to the mission statement 45, Hey Bunny, to minimal avail.

In turn, over the past half century, the veteran London quartet, Status Quo has amassed a most impressive legacy as purveyors of the straight ahead, intelligent, no nonsense brand of rock and roll championed by such fellow visionaries as the Blasters and Dave Edmunds. Yet (at least in the United States), the mainstream media in 1968 latched on to one of the band's last attempts at psychedlia, Pictures Of Matchstick Men (which was basically a holdover in terms of the creative process from their earlier incarnations as the Spectres and Traffic Jam). So much so, that despite numerous aesthetic triumphs in the ensuing years (from their utterly stupendous 1974 On The Level album for Capitol to their magnificent 2013 motion picture comedy, Bula Quo), the band is nonetheless widely presumed in the United States to have called it a day in the wake of that 1968 Cadet Concept label 45. 

A byproduct in both cases of having risen to prominence during the feast part of the feast or famine equation, some may assert. But then consider the saga of a UK vocal quartet that hit the ground running during rock and roll's last collective gasp of consequence. 

Comprised of 1978 Eurovision contender (as part of the group CoCo) Rita Maria "Cheryl Baker" Crudgington, along with Michael "Mike" Nolan, Jay Hilda Aston and Robert Alan "Bobby G" Gubby, Bucks Fizz was recruited by composers Nichola Martin and Andy Hill to showcase their promising original, Making Your Mind Up at Eurovision. The group's definitive line up came together in January 1981 and ultimately took top honors at Eurovision in Dublin that year with their euphoric performance of that single. 

A sublime showcase of relentless optimism, Making Your Mind Up became an instant classic and a sterling example of the rich musical diversity that continued to assert itself in that triumphant era. Bucks Fizz signed with RCA Victor at home and in the States, where they turned out a wealth of impressive singles and albums. 

And this is where (in some respects) the group found itself at odds with the mainstream media.

As Bucks Fizz rapidly transitioned from Eurovision triumph to the studio setting, their timing was initially fortuitous from a creative standpoint. Music videos were becoming the order of the day, and the group's memorable performance at Eurovision also made them an ideal fit for the newly celebrated medium.

Music videos in and of themselves were an integral part of the creative process from the onset. Blues giant Bessie Smith was among the first to make a decisive step in that direction in 1929 via Saint Louis Blues, with such absolute masters as Rick Nelson, the Big Bopper, Jesse Belvin and the Johnny Burnette Trio having made the concept a key component of their respective mission statements during the growth and development period of rock and roll. However, the notion of a single track serving as the soundtrack to a visual serial of sorts began in earnest in 1967 with the Four Tops' extraordinary video clip for their Seven Rooms Of Gloom single.

With their intense on stage charisma and seemingly natural abilities in front of a camera, Bucks Fizz took the logical step of meshing well written and superbly executed material with Broadway / Hollywood - worthy visuals that made for some of the most captivating and memorable such excursions of the era. 

However, the relatively modest attention that Making Your Mind Up received in the U.S. mainstream media (combined with the still healthy and prolific level of musical output in general) meant that Bucks Fizz found themselves in the same "feast" quandry that John Fred And The Playboy Band did a decade and a half earlier. RCA Victor continued to promote the group dutifully, if not enthusiastically; a situation not unlike that which the beloved and visionary quartet Sailor found itself in during their affilation with the Epic label in the States in the mid-1970s.

As such, Bucks Fizz's considerable momentum subsided in the States in short order. But at home, the group continued to tour and record prolifically. It is some of the best of those moments that the Cherry Pop label has collected and released in this highly anticipated five CD box set.

"Some of the best", simply because the group's finest moments overall cannot be contained in a five CD box set. To wit, absent is their original 1984 version of What's Love Got To Do With It, which went on to tremendous acclaim via a cover by Tina Turner on Capitol. Likewise such utterly stupendous album cuts as 20th Century Hero and the tech heavy yet personable 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, each of which showcase the group's prowess in the studio admirably. 

What Cherry Pop's Land Of Make Believe collection does offer is a weath of Bucks Fizz's singles, along with B-sides, extended mixes and unreleased tracks. The title track makes an ideal calling card for the uninitiated, being as it is one of the group's great triumphs within the audio / video hybrid. In turn, their sublime rendition of the Romantics' Talking In Your Sleep makes a solid case for being the definitive version. The group soars unwaveringly on both fronts here via such career highlights as Piece Of The Action, My Camera Never Lies, Now Those Days Are Gone, If You Can't Stand The Heat, Run For Your Life, Here's Lookin' At You, Shot Me Through The Heart, Rules Of The Game and I Hear Talk.

Thankfully, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston continue to record prolifically to the present day as the Fizz. Their Everything Under The Sun album for the MPG label was celebrated by Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People as one of the best new albums of 2022. The vaunted trio's live appearances at home found wildly appreciative audiences welcoming both their new material, as well as the foundations of their legacy that are represented in this essential collection.

"We're thrilled that (parent company) Cherry Red have released this five CD album", said Baker, who concurrently hosts a program on Great British Radio. 

Indeed, with such periphery as geography and mainstream media's parameters out of the picture as the result of the widespread availability of this collection, both Bucks Fizz and the Fizz are sure to find their ongoing acclaim somewhat akin to (in the words of one of their classic tracks included here) a New Beginning.

LIAR, LIAR: 
THE STORY OF MINNESOTA'S CASTAWAYS  -
James J. Donna (Castaway Publications)

The Soma family of labels always got the job done.

When Bobby Vee and his band were recruited to fill in for Buddy Holly on that fateful night in February 1959, Soma Records took notice. Soon after, the label released Vee's debut single, Suzie Baby. With that, one of the most storied careers in rock and roll was underway. 

The following year, Soma more than sustained its momentum with the debut album by the guitar-based duo, the Fendermen. Their concurrent covers of Huey Piano Smith's Don't You Just Know It and Jimmie Rodgers' Mule Skinner Blues became instant classics.

Before long, Soma broadened and diversified its artist roster exponentially via the introduction of two additional labels. Their Golden Wing subsidiary gave the world an anthem with the legendary Dave Dudley's Six Days On The Road (and its duly compelling follow up, Cowboy Boots) in 1963. 

By year's end, Soma's Garrett affiliate became one of the first labels to chronicle and celebrate some of the leading lights of the burgeoning first generation garage rock movement. The beloved Trashmen led the way with an extraordinary debut album and five magnificent 45s for the label over the next few years. Their efforts were underscored by first rate singles from the Accents, the Underbeats and Gregory Dee And The Aviantes. 

But for Soma Records, the best was yet to come. 

By 1965, first generation garage rock was well on its way to becoming the defining sub genre of the most crucial decade in the history of recorded music. With their aforementioned successes on Garrett, the label was continually on the lookout for the most promising such artists of the movement.

Thankfully, they didn't have to look very far. For in their home base of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a highly ambitious band was poised to raise the bar within a movement whose leading lights were routinely performing at optimum level.

That band was the Castaways. Comprised of guitarists Bob Folschow and Roy Hensley, bassist Dick Roby, keyboard man and principal visionary James Donna and drummer Dennis Craswell, the Castaways made their debut for Soma in 1965 with Liar, Liar. That high drama original, buoyed by Folschow's distinctive falsetto and Roby's over the edge scream prior to the instrumental break earned Liar, Liar the distinction of being one of first generation garage rock's definitive masterpieces.

The band quickly followed suit with their magnificent Goodbye Babe single for Soma. But by 1966, Folschow had been drafted into the military, and the Castaways embarked upon a reluctant sabbatical for a season. 

An ad hoc regrouping of the band resulted in a couple of first rate singles before decade's end, Lavender Popcorn and Walking In Different Circles. for Mercury's affiliate Fontana label. And in 1969, drummer Craswell became a founding member of Crow, whose Cottage Cheese and Evil Woman singles for Amherst have become standards in their own right.

Thankfully, Donna has persevered with the Castaways to the present day. And in this remarkable autobiography / band biography, he has presented in magnificent detail the band's extraordinary legacy.

To wit, Donna therein recounted in detail a night in January 1966 at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa, where the Castaways found themselves coming to terms with themselves regarding their artistic vision in light of the ballroom's storied legacy as the venue that had once hosted such Big Band pioneers as Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo and Jimmy Dorsey.

In turn, the Castaways shared the stage with some of the movement's leading lights, including the Gentrys, the Beach Boys, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Beau Brummels and Sonny And Cher. Insights from a number of them augment Donna's compelling accounts of those summit meetings. 

"Liar, Liar: From Garage Band To Rockstars, The Story Of Minnesota's Castaways (is) selling well across the country", said Donna.

And with good reason. Donna herein sets a standard to which his fellow musicial visionaries should aspire when they chronicle their own legacies. In the words of one of the band's classic tracks, his tale takes Watching The Time Go By to the next level.

A CHRISTMAS OFFERING
FROM THE COWSILLS  -
The Cowsills (Omnivore)

"It's addictive".

That conclusion was drawn several years ago by Wednesday Week co-founder and current Dime Box Band head, Kristi Callan during a discussion with Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People. The subject at hand was the resultant euphoria that stems from an audience's expression of appreciation for a job well done by a given artist on stage. 

Indeed, that emotional stimulus has provided incentive for countless veteran artists for decades. Its origins can be traced back in part to a meeting between Roulette Records president Morris Levy and composer / vocalist Ron Dante. 

At the time, Dante was front man of the vocal supergroup, the Detergents. Their Leader Of The Laundromat and Double-O Seven singles provided some of Roulette's stellar moments during the latter weeks of 1964 and into the early weeks of 1965. 

During that meeting, Levy shared a bit of advice and encouragement with Dante, who at the time was in the early stages of one of the most prolific and productive careers in music history. From the standpoint of career longevity, Levy advised Dante to concentrate primarily on live performances. While Dante nonetheless went on to amass a most impressive legacy as an artist with the Detergents, Cuff Links and Archies (as well as with solo recordings for Columbia and Musicor) and as the producer of landmark recordings by Barry Manilow, Steve Lawrence and others, he has also been a prolific presence on the concert stage, where high praise greets his every performance.

Another group of artists that have followed suit in that respect is the beloved veteran family band, the Cowsills. The band has continued to tour prolifically in recent years, with their trademark impeccable vocal harmonies resulting in sold out performances at every stop. 

However, with the demands of the road commanding a given artist's attention, the recording process often takes a back seat as a result. Sadly, unless a given concern performance is commemorated on album, CD or DVD, revisiting the moment becomes difficult, if not impossible. 

With respect to the Cowsills, their landmark Global album was released in 1998 to universal acclaim (including a nod from Blitz Magazine as one of the best albums of that last decade of the twentieth century). And while the interim Cocaine Drain album did assuage the faithful for a season upon its release in 2008, it was comprised of previously unreleased material recorded in the late 1970s. It wasn't until late 2022 - early 2023 that the long awaited new studio album from the band, Rhythm Of The World finally saw the light of day.

While their presence on the concert stage is most assuredly still welcome, prioritization as such nonetheless underscores the ongoing need for new material. Happily, as they prepare for an extended touring schedule in 2024, the Cowsills have endeavored to placate the faithful in the interim with this three-track digital EP for the Christmas season.

The lavishly produced and executed Christmastime (Song For Marissa) and Some Good Years had both previously seen release as a seven-inch vinyl single on the Rockville label in 1993. For their return in the digital format, they are joined by an acapella rendition of the 1934 Richard Himber / Guy Lombardo Christmas staple, Winter Wonderland. Under the Cowsills' most capable stewardship, Winter Wonderland soars with the euphoria that made the bridge of their 1968 monster classic Poor Baby single for MGM the standard of excellence for grad level courses in vocal harmony that it is. 

Happily, drummer John Cowsill has now rejoined siblings Bob, Paul and Susan in the band's lineup, after a protracted season behind the drum kit with the Beach Boys. With that most encouraging development serving as an adjunct to the releases of Rhythm Of The World and this Christmas collection, 2024 seems poised to be a banner year for a legendary band that for more than a half century has made following The Path Of Love the focal point of their mission statement. 

HOLLYWOOD BOWL
AUGUST 18, 1967  -
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Experience Hendrix)

As the late, great bluegrass virtuoso David "Stringbean" Akeman astutely observed, going fishing often provides a great opportunity to think.

At several points throughout 1967, Jimi Hendrix learned Akeman's maxim from first hand observation. The Jimi Hendrix Experience had toured North America with the Monkees, and both bands became fast friends in the process. So much so that Hendrix and Monkees bassist / keyboard man Peter Tork took advantage of what little spare time they both had that year and went out for a day of fishing on Tork's boat on a few occasions. 

Audience response had varied widely for the vaunted trio up to that point, irrespective of the venue or other artists on the bill. Nonetheless, Tork encouraged Hendrix to persevere, assuring him that his time would come. 

And on the eighteenth of August in 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was on the verge of doing just that. 

They had already generated considerable momentum for themselves with those earlier dates with the Monkees. And the trio's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival that June most assuredly won over that audience. But in that era of radio and monthly music magazines pretty much being the primary sources of musical information, the word had not yet gotten out on a large scale. 

As of August 1967, Reprise had just relased the Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut album, Are You Experienced. By late September - early October, that album was well on its way to becoming one of the pivotal releases of that most crucial year. In turn, the opening track, Purple Haze was concurrently giving the band their first hit single. 

But during this Hollywood Bowl appearance (taken from a soundboard recording), the band was still performing before an audience that at best was only peripherally aware of them. Despite the backing of powerhouse KHJ-AM and a brief but enthusiastic introduction by their late morning man, Robert Wilbur Morgan (who went on to a successful stint at Los Angeles' KRTH-AM before succumbing to lung cancer in May 1998), the initial audience response was reserved, at best.

Within an hour, that too would change.

As was still the case at that stage of their career, the Jimi Hendrix Experience augmented their live performances with a generous helping of cover material. In this case, the opener was the title track from the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

At that point, the Beatles' version on Capitol had only been available for about three months, and was still working its way into the collective psyche of the faithful. As such, Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell (late of the Riot Squad) played it straight, which generated polite, if not overwhelming applause.

The undercurrent of apprehension and frustration in Hendrix's voice was apparent, as he and his colleagues opted to take it to the next level. The resultant cover of Muddy Waters' Killing Floor noticably caught the audience's attention, enabling the trio to bring in the heavier artillery, in the form of their formidable original material.

The Wind Cries Mary was the flip side of their Purple Haze 45, and served the same purpose as did The Crystal Ship as the B-side of the Doors' Light My Fire single for Elektra, which had run its course the previous month. In other words, a compelling and intelligently structured (albeit somewhat otherworldly) ballad that served to highlight the rich diversity of each band's original material. Hendrix, Redding and Mitchell certainly proved the point by segueing into Foxey Lady, which was then about three months away from single release and still relatively unfamiliar to the Hollywood Bowl audience. Yet in no uncertain terms, it proved to be both an attention getter and a game changer.

With that, the band returned to cover material to further provide a taste of things to come. Their eight minute rendition of Robert Petway's 1941 standard, Catfish Blues was a full band workout, complete with a drum solo from Mitchell. With the audience now coming to terms with the fact that they were watching history unfold before them, the band then sustained the momentum with true to form renditions of Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone and their own Fire (which became a smash single for both the Pack on Capitol and the Five By Five on Paula in late 1968) and Purple Haze.

With the audience captivated accordingly, the trio gave them a one-two punch of what was to come with a no holes barred, six minute workout of the Troggs' 1966 signature single, Wild Thing (complete with a brief instrumental nod to Frank Sinatra's Strangers In The Night). While of course this audio recording does not provide a first hand glimpse of the theatrics at play, it is obvious by both the band's performance and the audience's reaction that the mission was accomplished. 

If, as the sleeve notes to the 1970 Reprise soundtrack album of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (which the band shared with the groundbreaking set by the larger than life Otis Redding) suggested, that the band had "graduated from rumor to legend" at that June appearance, suffice to say that Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967 repeated that triumph for what would be one of the last times in a variation on the word of mouth process. 

TOO MANY CROOKS -
Unicorn (Think Like A Key)

By the mid-1970s, pretty much everyone with a desire for the betterment of music had had enough.

With the mainstream having fostered and languished in a protracted aesthetic slump since the close of the previous decade, the faithful began searching for ways to sustain their creative momentum throughout those lean times. The answer would of course ultimately come in the form of the so-called indie movement, which was about to give rise to such inspired and inspiring sub genres as punk and the all encompassing new wave. 

For the many who saw the self indulgence that preceded it as anathema to the art itself, one viable option was the hybrid that ultimately became known as country rock. Pioneered largely by rock and roll giant Rick Nelson via a pair of acclaimed country-themed LPs for Decca, country rock quicky found its way into the mission statements of such like minded visionaries as Brian Hyland. By decade's end, such greats as the Byrds, the International Submarine Band, Michael Nesmith And The First National Band and the Buffalo Springfield had made their marks decisively in that respect.

As the early 1970s progressed, their ranks soared exponentially via such acclaimed bands as Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, the Amazing Rhythm Aces, Pure Prairie League, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Band, Little Feat, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Charlie Daniels Band and Poco. A number of like minded solo artists stood in solidariy with them, most notably Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Ronstadt and Harris eventually joined forces with Dolly Parton as the formidable Trio for Warner Brothers.

Seemingly content to make their own mark in that respect without the resultant fanfare was the Send, Surrey - based Unicorn. Not so ironically once known as the Late, Unicorn was founded by composer Ken Baker, in tandem with guitarist and Tony Rivers And The Castaways alumnus Trevor McKee (who was replaced in 1972 by Kevin Smith).

Among the band's early highlights was working with such acclaimed greats as Billy J. Kramer. But in 1969, the debut Atlantic LP by Crosby, Stills And Nash peaked their curiosity in terms of rock and roll veterans successfully embracing the country and rock hybrid. The band ultimately signed with the Big T label, where their duly inspired debut 45, P.F. Sloan was released in 1971.

By 1975, Unicorn had signed with the Harvest label, where their third album, Too Many Crooks (somewhat ironically titled Unicorn 2 in the United States) saw release in the early days of 1976. The band had found a staunch supporter in Pink Floyd lead guitarist David Gilmour, who offered Unicorn his services as producer and also sat in for part of the sessions.

While that unexpected perk was certainly a boon to the band in a number of respects, it had minimal bearing on the creative autonomy that was long in place among their ranks. Herein, Unicorn (rounded out by bassist Pat Martin and drummer/co-lead vocalist Pete Perryer) pressed ahead on their own terms, with encouraging results.

Composed by Baker, the eleven selections in Too Many Crooks are nearly unique in their seeming lack of profession of solidarity with any particular ideology or theme. While many of their colleagues often sang of adventures on the road, idyllic scenarios and the like, Unicorn herein followed suit only with the bonus track traveler's tale So Far Away

However, the bulk of Baker's material herein commemorates and celebrates a variety of scenarios. They run the gamut from the despondency of No Way Out Of Here and the vague cynicism of the title track to the hard fought for independent spirit of He's Got Pride and the urgency borne of the familiarity breeds contempt pespective of Weekend.

Through it all, Unicorn stayed with the matter of fact, sparsely arranged, mid-tempo approach that also served Little Feat and the Amazing Rhythm Aces well, leaving any sort of variations in professions of solidarity and / or affinity to the listener. An astute move that assured the ultimate timelessness of the material, despite the fact that the aforementioned indie movement ultimately derailed the band's foreward momentum by decade's end.

Rights to this landmark work were eventually acquired by the vaunted U.K. - based Cherry Red family of labels, long one of the world's leading lights in terms of state of the art reissues, anthologies and compilations. In the hopes of sustaining their momentum for both the faithful and aspiring enthusiast, the Texas - based Think Like A Key's Roger Houdaille has in turn leased Too Many Crooks for U.S. release. With a wealth of band photos and a comprehensive essay by David DiSanzo, this reissue proves to be more than a bonus for the completist. In the words of one of Unicorn's earlier triumphs, Too Many Crooks is proof positive that their Uphill All The Way struggle was not in vain.

KINGS, QUEENS AND JOKERS  -
Victoria (Gear Fab)

Remarkable is the reissue project that enjoys deluxe treatment in its third incarnation.

Such is the case with the 1971 debut album by the New Jersey band, Victoria. Recorded between 1969 and 1971, the original album featured eight original compositions by band co-founder Greg Ruban.

In reality, the album was a joint venture between Victoria (Ruban, along with Sharon Barton, Maureen Deidelbaum and Cheryl Simpson), in tandem with the Dirty Martha Band. Logistics prevented the band from performing live, but they did manage to capture this lone extraordinary effort in the studio. 

As a composer, Ruban (who also served as producer for this project) demonstrated remarkable vision and depth during that deceptively fallow creative period. To wit, the original album featured ambitious psychedelic workouts such as Village Of Etaf, which would have been right at home within the fertile boom period that produced the likes of Tintern Abbey, Grapefruit and the Soft Machine a scant few years earlier. 

In turn, the curious Cumberland takes its cue in parts from the Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning, while Gevaro avails itself as a latter day reimagination of Frankie Laine's Jezebel. Moreover, Ride A Rainbow serves as an extension and/or answer of sorts to the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Purple Haze, while the opener, Peace sports some refreshing acoustic guitar in its intro that falls in solidarity with the like minded overtures found in Lighthouse's One Fine Morning. The rare profession of candor that is the aptly named Never Knew Blues brings it all full circle; paradoxically drawing as it does from the tension that graced the template of Billy Roberts' often covered 1962 standard, Hey Joe.

Curiously, Kings, Queens And Jokers did not make it past the demo stage at the time of its recording. Nonetheless, it did finally see a limited release of two hundred copies in the early years of the twenty-first century. Out of print since 2005, it now enjoys a deluxe CD reissue on the Gear Fab label. For this deluxe third appearance, label president Roger Maglio has included seven heretofore unreleased Ruban compositions that were drawn from master tape and acetate sources, highlighted by the Gospel-tinged Mister Let Me Go, Child Of A Princess and an alternate take of Cumberland.

Sadly, Greg Ruban passed away in 2008. Nonetheless, his unique vision brings a most welcome addition to Gear Fab's extensive catalog of reissues of the rarest independent releases. Incentive to Ride A Rainbow indeed.


Thursday

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (NEW RELEASES) By Michael McDowell


STOP THE WAR NOW: Romantics co-founder WALLY PALMAR has joined forces with veteran composer and guitarist JACK DE KEYZER for an inspired original single, No War  Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell takes a closer look below. (Click on above image to enlaarge).

CDs AND VINYL - NEW RELEASES
(REVIEWS ARE POSTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST)

11X11 -
The Eleven Guys Quartet
(VizzTone)

Credit certainly has to be given to Eleven Guys Quartet harmonica man, Richard Rosenblatt for taking the unwavering resolve approach to the next level.

As the head of the VizzTone label, Rosenblatt oversees an artist roster comprised of dozens of uncompromisingly hardcore blues artists. In some cases, that extreme purist approach has hampered to an extent any overtures of solidarity from those on the periphery of that perspective. Nonetheless, it has rallied the faithful to the point that for all practical purposes, VizzTone remains the present day go to souce for the mission statement at large.

Rosenblatt's inspiration in that respect stems in part from his own lengthy experience as a musician. To that effect, the Eleven Guys Quartet has persevered since the 1980s, providing for all practical purposes the template on which many of his artists have based their own visions.

With 11X11, the band's first release since 2020, the Eleven Guys Quartet again showcases their command of the bombastic instrumental. To that effect, the opening track, Lightning Road draws from the Rolling Stones' fundamental take on Bo Diddley's Mona, albeit with a much crisper mix than that afforded the 1964 rendition on the Rolling Stones' England's Newest Hitmakers album for London.

In turn, Jokers Blues takes a cue from Canned Heat's playful interpretation of Hambone Willie Newburn's 1929 signature single, Rollin' And Tumblin' and adds a bit more bounce to the beat by executing in straight 4/4 at mid-tempo. Likewise, He Ain't Got You serves as a fitting answer song of sorts to Billy Boy Arnold's I Ain't Got You by adding to Arnold's cerebral perspective the instrumentally ambitious dressing afforded the 1965 interpretation by the Yardbirds. 

Those embellishments serve the Eleven Guys Quartet well throughout this collection, enabling them to persevere with their vision intact, while concurrently finding those much needed professions of solidarity from others along the way. In the words of this album's closing track, such are the benefits of Rockin' The Blues.

LIVE IN AUSTIN, VOLUME ONE -
Sue Foley
(Guitar Woman)

Many who champion the blues often find themselves at the Crossroads of which Robert Johnson sang. How many of them actually enter that intersection is a different matter. 

As was long the case with such musical forms as vocal group harmony and first generation garage rock, the present day incarnation of the blues finds itself with a hardcore audience that devotes the bulk of its attention to its genre of choice; defering outside of those parameters only upon rare occasion. Such methodology invariably serves to strengthen the resolve of the most resolute, while minimalizing crossover potential (from both outside and inside) in the process.

For vocalist, composer, guitar virtuoso and Ottawa, Ontario native Sue Foley, those options have prompted a bit of defensive driving. While Foley has retained her position on center stage within the movement since relocating to Texas some years ago, she has (as her signature single, New Used Car -- reprised here -- underscores) done so by approaching the crossroads with a more proactive than average awareness of the innate limitations of the form.

As such, with Live In Austin, Volume One, Foley has opted to downplay the bombast common to the works of a number of her peers in favor of highlighting some of the subtle attributes that are often afforded secondary status in pursuit of the perceived audience prerequisite of bravado. 

Not that Foley is incapable of delivering in that respect. Indeed, much of her catalog to date showcases her mastery of such technique. But as an artist with enough insight to proactively transcend the limitations of the genre, she astutely opted to take to the stage in relatively subdued fashion here.  

To that effect, Highwayside is more of a celebration of the tried and true verse, chorus and bridge template, rather than the one/two punch straight out of the gate methodology that the fatihful have taken for granted. In turn, her variations on a theme by Slim Harpo (Queen Bee) are not so much an answer of sorts as an opportunity to turn the familiar twelve-bar motif into a romp that defers out of respect while not necessarily acquiescing out of perceived necessity. Foley drives the overall point home with an inspired take on Bob Dylan's late September 1965 signature single, Positively Fourth Street.

By testing the parameters of the template at hand, Foley has taken decisive steps towards meeting the crosstown traffic at the crossroads. In a genre in which thinking outside of the box is rarely addressed (if not discouraged), she has reaffirmed her front runner status by (in the words of one of this collection's standout tracks) doing so a little bit Better than the rest.


I GREW UP HERE-
Brian Gari
(Original Cast)

Even the best artists commit the occasional faux pas.

Consider the late Harold "Conway Twitty" Jenkins. In his four decade career, Twitty released several dozen first rate singles that have endured as classics. Yet ironcially, in the final years of his career, Twitty cut a slightly out of character 45 for MCA that generated no small amount of controversy among the faithful. 

The single in question, That's My Job drew fire among those who took exception to its portrayal of a successful individual who nonetheless rescinded his way of life at the expense of his family. He did so to return to the hometown that seemingly held more memories at that stage than it did promise. 

With I Grew Up Here, the veteran composer and vocalist Brian Gari thankfully takes a more pragmatic approach to similar circumstances. In Gari's case, the hometown in question is New York City, which he continues to call home to the present day. As such, the then versus now perspective in his case comes more from the vantage point of reflection, rather than transition. 

All of which makes for a more richly diverse celebration here. The album opens with a heretofore unreleased April 1976 demo, Send Your Songs To Me. That slighly over a minute long snippet provides a fascinating look at the trappings of the recording industry. At that time, Gari was coming off of a brief but memorable affiliation with Vanguard Records. Herein, he paints a familiar to his fellow artists portrait of a label rep that is part Colonel Tom Parker and part the car salesman prototype depicted in the fade of the Southbound Freeway's 1967 signature single, Psychedelic Used Car Lot Blues (albeit in considerably less dramatic fashion).

For the remaining fourteen tracks, I Grew Up Here takes on a modern day perspective, giving the reflective moments the benefit of hindsight in the process. Most notable among them is the title track, in which Gari's wistful recollection of his father's maintaining the address numbers on their home with a fresh coat of paint allows for emotional resolution without having to make drastic, Conway Twitty-like changes in lifestyle.

"I pass my childhood home almost every day, but I never go inside", Gari sings.

"The lobby is the same as 1958, when I used to get our mail and TV Guide". 

"I ask for closure, but no closure appears", he concludes matter of factly. 

Thankfully, Gari has not allowed such unresolved matters to hamper his celebration of the small but impacting day to day blessings. To that effect, the relentless optimism of Patron Of The Arts depicts the hope springs eternal perspective impeccably. 

Moreover, that inspired piece provides an uplifting adjunct to the likes of I Don't Believe Her. Therein, the protagonist walks the fine line between the reality and revisionist history that is often afforded the lost love saga. Indeed, a rare depiction of a universal saga that is far more frequently presented from the more intense perspective of the Precisions' high drama masterpiece, If This Is Love.

But not all in I Grew Up Here comes from that end of the emotional spectrum. To be certain, there are generous samplings of irony and humor in Tell Your Sisters, You Can Have Him Back and She Can't Get The Job Done. True to form, all are executed with Gari's (unintentional, yet undeniable) penchant for the modest everyman perspective of the legendary Buddy Clark, tempered by the dreamscape idealism of Harpers Bizarre. 

Not surprisingly, Gari is already hard at work on the follow up.

"An all day recording session on the last track for my next album", he said in early October.

"Bringing my twelve string!"

To be certain, that should make for yet another impressive addition to his impeccable recorded legacy. 

ARE YOU SURE YOU THREE GUYS
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING? -
Mike Jones, Penn Jillette And Jeff Hamilton
(Capri)

The legendary Hank Williams excelled at stand up comedy. Late in his career, veteran actor Buddy Ebsen briefy pursued a long time desire to be a rockabilly musician. Actor Phil Silvers once collaborated with orchestra leader Nelson Riddle on a thematic instrumental album for Columbia. Jiles Perry "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Waylon Jennings were both radio announcers. Pearl Bailey and Jerry Butler enjoyed productive careers in politics. And Barry Manilow and Elvis Presley each briefly worked as delivery truck drivers. 

Facts such as these often bring "wow" emoji responses from some among the rank and file. Such observers often struggle to come to terms with the idea of the subjects of their interest being involved in any other field besides the ones in which they happened to first encounter their work. 

Invariably, such linear thinking underscores the reasoning as to why artists such as those alluded to above remain on center stage, while the observers with limited expectations either cannot or will not take the crucial step of thinking outside of the box. As such, they often remain in the capacity of armchair quarterbacks in a perpetual state of disenfranchisement and (in some cases) disdain. 

The world of jazz has produced a wealth of keyboard virtuosos over the past century. The works of Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey, Leroy Carr, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, JoAnn Castle and Ramsey Lewis (among others) have served to raise the bar for the instrument exponentially, with many drawing their own inspiration from them.

One such pianist is Buffalo, New York native and veteran session musician, Mike Jones. He continues to perform live and record prolifically, with an impressive catalog of releases on Chiaroscuro and Capri to his credit. 

For this current project (which celebrates a rich variety of standards), it stood to reason that Jones would opt to collaborate with a rhythm section that both shared his vision and possessed the ability to execute it accordingly. Enter drummer and Richmond, Indiana native Jeff Hamilton, who has amassed his own impressive track record via collaborations with Monty Alexander, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Diana Krall, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and others. 

Nonetheless, in rounding out the equation, it is likely that the aforementioned armchair quarterbacks will again be poised with their index fingers hovering over the "wow" emoji option.

Bringing the trio full circle is the Greenfield, Massachusetts-born veteran magician, author and one time Dancing With The Stars contestant, Penn Fraser Jillette. Among other things, Jillette has not been one to take a cavalier or passive role in any proceedings when he is assured of his convictions.

To wit, around the turn of the previous century, Jillette prompted a hearty vocal "wow" emoji of sorts from the studio audience during a guest appearance on Donny and Marie Osmond's syndicated television series, Donny And Marie. Therein, Jillette briefly derailed the momentum of the conversation by candidly yet rightfully bringing to hostess Olive Marie Osmond's attention that the new millennium at hand began with the year 2001, not 2000. 

Given his tenacity, it stood to reason that Jillette's participation in this project would sit well with all concerned. To that effect, Jones has served since 2002 as musical director for Jillette's Las Vegas, Nevada-based Penn And Teller magic show with Raymond Joseph Teller. To that effect, it was in part with Jones' ongoing encouragement that Teller opted to learn to play the stand up bass twenty years ago, at the age of 48. 

However, Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You're Doing? is not Jones and Jillette's first musical collaboration. The two of them had made a test run in that capacity in 2018 on Jones' The Show Before The Show album for Capri. As a result, both were duly encouraged to persevere with the project at hand. 

The album opens with George and Ira Gershwin's often covered 1927 composition, 'S Wonderful. Subsequent renditions such as the lavishly orchestrated score recorded by the visionary arranger and conductor Ray Conniff for Columbia in 1956 have more often than not characterized the piece. Even so, 'S Wonderful works just as well within the relatively sparse arrangement at hand, with Jones, Jillette and Hamilton doing musical stretch warm ups to set the stage for the individual workouts to follow.

Happily, all three participants are afforded opportunities herein to soar accordingly. They do so most inspiringly on such ambitious fare as Sonny Rollins' Doxy, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra's On Green Dolphin Street, Duke Ellington's Perdido and Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto's signature 45 for Verve, The Girl From Ipanema. The proceedings are brought to a most inspired conclusion with Jones' original composition, Blues For Burns.

Indeed, there is probably little reason to suggest that the project at hand will prompt the aforementioned armchair quarterbacks to approach such endeavors from a wider perspective. Nonetheless, those who have opted to follow Funkadelic's July 1970 mandate to Free Your Mind will embrace this collection for the ambitious and engaging endeavor that it is. In the words of the 1964 Michel Legrand composition that provides one of the highlights of this collection, take that crucial step and Watch What Happens.

WAITING FOR THE SUN TO RISE -
Marc Jordan (Linus Entertainment)

In 1963, Tony Bennett sang wistfully of The Good Life. But for all practical purposes, Marc Jordan has lived it. 

The son of the late CBC radio vocalist and Quebec native Charles Jordan, Marc Wallace Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York in March 1948. However, the elder Jordan opted to permanently return his family to Toronto, Ontario shortly thereaffer. 

Not surprisingly, music remained a central component of the Jordan household throughout that transitional period. To that effect, Jordan made his professional debut in due course as a guitarist with rock and roll pioneer Bobby Vee. 

By the mid-1970s, Jordan began to generate some interest as a composer and vocalist. He released a series of 45s for CBS' Denail affiliate (including the memorable Willie's Gone) that brought him to the attention of Warner Brothers in the United States. 

Continued success with RCA Victor in the 1980s led to an increased demand for his services as both a composer and producer. In the process, his work was covered by an impressive litany of greats, including Manhattan Transfer, Rod Stewart, Cher, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Natalie Cole, Chicago and Josh Groban.

Like others who have parlayed their initial artistic vision into a broader scope (including Brian Gari and Carole Bayer-Sager), Jordan has experienced enough of The Good Life to which Bennett referred to render it in song both authoritatively and (somewhat) accessibly. Most discerningly, he does so with just enough distance to reiterate the fact to the listener that it is an ongoing journey which is not to be taken lightly.

In Waiting For The Sun To Rise, Jordan portrays the modern day equivalent of the after hours piano bar scenes of many a classic motion picture. As the pianist signals last call with One For My Baby (And One For The Road), a couple that has been deep in conversation for much of the evening decides to continue their time together elsewhere. 

But that is where any sort of certainty in terms of plot development ends.

Going forward, Jordan herein lays out a variety of options borne of both vague familiarity and considerable experience (universally, if not personally), allowing observers to draw their own conclusions about the outcome of the evening.

To wit, the instrumental set opener, The Last Buffalo invokes the high drama, lavish orchestration of Bennett's like minded ventures. As Jordan joins the proceedings in Best Day Of My Life, relentless optimism tempered with the impact of lessons well learned ("She never, ever noticed me there, that would have been The Best Day Of My Life") is briefly the order of the evening.

Accompanied by a group of seasoned vets who rise to the occasion with the prerequisite Miles Davis, Bill Evans and John Coltrane mood swings, Jordan then not so much glides from emotional option to option as he does stride with a reverence borne of the need to remind the relative novice to pay close attention. 

Indeed, the degree to which the aforementioned giants have become foundational in such matters is showcased in most timely manner in Coltrane Plays The Blues. No first time marveling at the genius involved. No lack of familiarity with the visionary saxophonist's legacy. Simply a taken for granted solidarity with his art, allowing it to serve as an adjunct for whatever scenario avails itself.

As the evening progresses, Jordan lays all options out on the table, from the "wild horse of intention" of the title track and the "keep it idealistic" backup perspective of Rio Grande to the reality check of Jimmy Webb's The Moon's A Harsh Mistress and the sadly and frequently inevitable, Bad Time To Say Goodbye. He underscores the transition between the two camps sublimely at midpoint with a pertinent, bare bones reworking of Tears For Fears' Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

Like Brian Gari and Carole Bayer-Sager, Jordan reflects on such lessons with enduring hindsight. To his considerable credit, he has done so by working with his dream team of collaborators (Steven MacKinnon, John Kapek, Lou Pomanti and Bruce Gaitsch). Moreover, Jordan continues to draw the bulk of his inspiration from his wife, composer Amy Sky, whose own compositions have been graced by renditions from the likes of Sheena Easton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John, Aaron Neville, Reba McEntire and many more.

Like each of those colleagues and inspirations, Jordan has emerged victorious in the process. And while Waiting For The Sun To Rise does (to an extent) bring Bennett's maxim full circle, in turn, Jordan has also demonstrated herein that the decisive earlier steps made in that direction vis such career highlights as Talking Through Pictures, It's A Fine Line and Charlie Parker Loves Me were not taken in vain.

HIGH FIDELITY -
Jeremy Morris (JAM)

There are a number of reasons why Jeremy Morris has for years been the most logical successor to the late James Brown's "Hardest Working Man In Show Business" title.

With a work ethic that staggers the imagination, the Portage, Michigan - based Morris has for decades deftly balanced his responsibilities as composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, label president, pastor and family man. In turn, his catalog includes dozens of solo albums and collaborations that run the gamut from Gospel and prog rock to garage rock and psychedelia.

Moreover, Morris has released more than a dozen albums of all new material in the last three years alone. They include 2021's Road To Zion, Live For Today and Distant Dream, as well as 2022's Brighter Day, A Wonderful Surprise, The Day The World Stood Still and From Here To Eternity (which features an utterly stupendous reimagination of the Lemon Pipers' late 1967 signature single, Green Tambourine). 

True to form, his pace has not slowed down in the current year to date. Morris kicked off 2023 with The First Ten Years, a retrospective of the best material of his acclaimed side project, the Lemon Clocks. The mesmerizing A Better Life album followed suit, featuring such captivating originals as My True Colors and Bad Banana.

To be certain, that release schedule would tax the creative juices and capabilities of the most capable. Nonetheless, the relentlessly optimistic Morris was not through with 2023 yet.

"This year, I also released a CD called Bright Side Of The Sun", he said.

"And High Fidelity".

Issued in October, High Fidelity is of particular interest to long time readers of Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People. Among the album's inspired dozen originals is I Am With You Always, which sports an inspired, guitar-centric arrangement that takes its cue (however unintentionally) from Herman's Hermits' monster classic Heart Get Ready For Love single. 

That 1978 release on the great Morris Levy's Roulette label ultimately won top honors from Blitz Magazine as Best Single Of The 1970s. Those who drew inspiration from Frank Renshaw and the late Derek Leckenby's guitar interplay on that landmark single will find much to their liking in the High Fidelity album, from the full on jangle of the title track to the mid-tempo, Gospel-rich God's Glue.

With such a wealth of recorded activity to his credit, Jeremy Morris continues to raise the bar on a variety of levels. Nonetheless, as he underscored in a recent message based on I Peter 3:9, we are Called To Be A Blessing. Suffice to say that in that respect, to invoke the words of a standout track from his The Day The World Stood Still album, Morris has consistently done so with Grace Under Pressure.


NO WAR / NO WAR (ALTERNATE MIX) -
Wally Palmar And Jack de Keyzer (Spider)

Record hunting has been known to provide long term dividends.

At the record collectors conventions hosted by the late Stu Shapiro in suburban Detroit during the mid to late 1970s, two of the regular clientele were the aspiring musicans Mike Skill and Wally Palmar. While each had their own individual preferences, both professed an interest in procuring records by the Dave Clark Five. 

In due course, Skill and Palmar (along with Jimmy Marinos and Rich Cole) formed the Romantics, whose straight ahead original material for the Spider, Bomp and Nemperor labels drew in part from the inspiration of the Dave Clark Five in more ways than one. Most notably, the Romantics (however unintentionally) followed the Dave Clark Five's lead in keeping their uptempo material dressed in timeless lyrics that addressed the basics of the everyday human experience. 

In the rare instances when the Dave Clark Five leaned towards more topical material, it was done either with tongue-in-cheek (their playful swipe at the hippie movement and a certain Liverpool quartet, as found in their Live In The Sky single) or with an outspoken call to arms perspective (their 1971 definitive rendiition of Neil Young's Southern Man).

For the Romantics, it wasn't so much an aversion to the topical approach as it was being certain to align with the right cause. For front man Wally Palmar, that cause was (and is) the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Joining forces herein with Palmar is the Toronto, Ontario-based composer, guitarist and vocalist, Jack de Keyzer, whose acclaimed releases for Blue Star have been celebrated in Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People over the years. Their resultant No War single and video have made for a most impassioned commentary on that ongoing tragedy. 

On the plus side, the 45 is a homecoming of sorts for Palmar. With its release, long time Romantics manager Arnie Tencer has reactivated the Spider label, whose initial release was the band's 1977 Little White Lies / I Can't Tell You Anything single, which was issued in two different versions. 

In turn, the single's picture sleeve was designed by original Blitz Magazine Art Director, Dennis Loren, whose work has graced counless album covers and posters throughout the past five decades. No War is also available in traditional black vinyl, as well as in limited edition yellow vinyl and blue vinyl, reflecting the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

"Wally and I are planning on a lot more releases", said Tencer.

"We are transfering a lot of old tapes to digital. I have early Romatics. I even have pre-Romantics, going back to 1974".

Indeed, if the sentiments expressed within No War bear fruit, the release of that archival material will most assuredly be cause for celebration.

DIRTY WATER REVISITED -
Tony Valerntino (Big Stir)

"I refuse to compete with myself at the age of sixteen".

So said veteran composer and vocalist Brian Hyland in an exchange with Blitz Magazine some years ago on the subject of re-recordings. Labels such as K-Tel, Ronco and Madacy had been recruiting veteran artists to their studios for the purpose of cutting new versions of their classic singles for inclusion on compilation albums. 

Some artists saw that as a fortuitious move, enabling them to prove to their audiences (and to an extent, themselves) that their vocal capabilities remained intact. Hyland did not concur, adding that the assembly line methodology utilized by those labels in the recut process often resulted in a loss of the all too crucial attribute of heart. 

Several decades after the fact, many of the artists involved in that process are sadly no longer with us. In turn, those who have survived often find themselves at the crossroads of having to prove themselves after all, given the changes in levels of strength that often comes with the passage of time, as well as the inevitable attrition rate of their original audiences.

On the other hand, there are the occasional veteran artists who find themselves in the position of entertaining the notion of participating in the recut process for other reasons, including sheer necessity. First generation garage rock hero and Standells co-founder and guitarist Emilio "Tony Valentino" Bellissimo is one such artist. 

Throiughout the 1960s, the Los Angeles - based Standells amassed an impressive and enduring legacy via a series of singles and albums for the Linda, Vee Jay, Liberty, MGM and Tower labels. Their momentum continued unabated until 1968 when, as their late producer and Four Preps co-founder Ed Cobb suggested in a three-part interview in Blitz Magazine, they began to heed advice from well meaning yet ill advised outside sources. 

By the mid-1980s, the Standells were endeavoring to regain that momentum by returning to live performance. Sadly, those aspirations were short lived. Since that time, lead vocalist and drummer Dick Dodd and bassist Gary Lane from the band's best known line up have passed away. 

Nonetheless, keyboard man Lawrence Arnold "Larry" Tamblyn did manage to further the band's legacy with the release of the album, Bump. That 2013 collection for Karl Anderson's Global Recording Artists label featured an all new line up of the Standells.

All of which brings the Standells full circle to the project at hand.

Dirty Water Revisited is in part as its title suggests: re-recordings of several of the Standells' classic Tower Records era tracks. New versions of BarracudaTry It (which was also recorded magnificently by the Ohio Express for Cameo in early 1968),  There's A Storm Comin', Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White, Riot On Sunset Strip and Dirty Water are augmented herein by new material that draws its inspiration from the band's long time mission statement. 

As noted, from Valentino's perspective, the recuts were borne in part out of necessity. 

"Rick Springfield was a frequent customer of a restaurant I owned, Bellissimo", he said.

"One day, he said he was going to re-record all of his hits so that he would have control over them."

That practice is also currently being undertaken successfully by composer and vocalist Taylor Swift, who in recent years has painstakingly re-recorded new versions of her earliest albums, In some cases, Swift's remakes have outsold the original releases. To be certain, Swift stands in solidarity with Springfield and Valentino in that respect.

"Many musicians in the '60s really had no control over what was done with their music", Valentino said.

"The Standells were no exception. After hearing what Rick had planned, I said that one day I am going to do that. 

"Afterwards, I started working on the concept of Dirty Water Revisited. It was my way of rebelling against the record labels and shady industry types back then for what they had done to us".

Although the Tower label ceased operations in 1970, it left behind an impressive catalog of essential recordings by not just the Standells, but also the Chocolate Watchband, Tom Jones, Pink Floyd, Dana Rollin, Harry Nilsson, the Sunrays, Eternity's Children. Freddie And The Dreamers, the Arrows, the Toggery Five, Ian Whitcomb, Max Frost And The Troopers and many others. As such, it was crucial that Valentino's project did not focus entirely on remakes.

Not surprisingly, his duly inspired new material does not disappoint. To that effect, Vicki is as much of a nod to the second generation of garage rockers that were inspired by the Standells as it is to his own legacy. Conversely, the tongue in cheek I'm A Sexy Punk Rocker adapts a bit more of a hardcore approach in order to take that same demographic to task for defering to expectations ("In my mind it's still 1979") rather than drawing from personal inspiration. 

In both scenarios, Valentino (supported here by Duane Walder, Gary Kaluza, Randy Cooke and Ziro E) proceeded at risk. Yet in the process, he managed to successfully sustain the momentum of the Standells' long running mission statement by defering to the obvious, yet nonetheless confounding expectations. In other words, to invoke the Standells' formidable legacy, he drew from The Hot Ones with Pride And Devotion.

SOMEONE TO WRITE ME A SONG -
Alicia Witt (Alicia Witt Music)

In the relatively lean artistic times, things have been known to come full circle.

The prolific and gifted composer Neil Sedaka (in tandem with his long time collaborator, Howard Greenfield) proved that in abundance in 1972 with the release of his I'm A Song (Sing Me) 45 for the Kirshner label. At that point, Sedaka had to his credit nore than a decade and a half of acclaimed compositions and/or vocal triumphs, including The Dreamer, Bad Girl, The World Through A Tear, Next Door To An Angel, I Go Ape, One Way Ticket To The Blues, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do and many others.

Nonetheless, like many of his veteran colleagues, Sedaka suddenly found his momentum derailed by the typical overreach of the era.The tried and true team approach which had characterized his work from the onset was suddenly deemed a concession to the so-called system, with the rank and file demanding an autonomous approach to the art that a number of their up and comers of choice simply did not have within their grasp. 

In response, I'm A Song (Sing Me) most encouragingly turned the tables on those pedestrian accusers. Assuming a heartening victim of the times stance, Sedaka put the opposition on the defensive as the rigid and ignorant bullies that they were. In due course, Sedaka's strategy reaped considerable dividends (aesthetic and otherwise), as his subsequent releases for Rocket and Elektra provided him with a wealth of new career highlights that were acclaimed across the board. 

In this current season of rampant political divisiveness and societal acrimony, composer, vocalist and Worcester, Massachusetts native Alicia Roanne Witt likewise takes a cue from Sedaka's triumph and reaches out to the proponents of the presumed common denominator of unity through music. 

But Sedaka's and Witt's methodologies differ somewhat in how the team approach had enabled them to date. In Sedaka's case, his compositional skills had served him in good stead in a system in which he proactively sustained his momentum by contributing ahead of the curve. 

Conversely, in Someone To Write Me A Song, Witt sings of riding the coattails of others who have been maximizing the system. That said, she only comes to the realization that its best efforts in that respect invariably fall short in terms of personal fulfillment. 

As such, it is the element of vulnerability that generates the sympathy factor here. Indeed, Witt's confessions of being the benecator ("I've lived the movie moments, the kisses in the rain" and "first class ticket, free champagne") could well have been perceived as the byproduct of a sense of entitlement, were it not for her quick counter with, "But where's that gotten me? There's something I keep missing".

Witt has long had the mixed blessing of being surrounded in Nashville, Tennessee by one of the most consistent music machines that the mainstream has to offer. In due course, she comes to the realization herein that drawing upon the team approach is an exercise in futility if a key component of that team does not contribute its fair share. 

Indeed, "The moment lives forever in a three-chord memory" draws the inevitable conclusion: "Baby, I just don't know what it takes". And that overture of resignation in and of itself sets the stage for Witt to forego the victim stance for a victory lap. 

That Witt does not yet take that victory lap herein is indeed a strong testimony to her compositional skills, leaving as it does the open ended option from which the listener can draw their own conclusions. To underscore the point, Witt recently posted on her social media account a selfie video showcasing this track, in which she good naturedly attempts to execute it while attempting to counter technical difficulties with her cell phone.

"Getting to connect with so many of you through the language of music is one of the deepest gifts I know", she said.

It is that gift of subtle yet effective discernment that has kept Witt ahead of the curve in a career that has spanned more than three decades. Someone To Write Me A Song is now available on most streaming platforms.