AC/DC - Powerage (1978)

"Powerage" is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott. "Powerage" was a first in the sense that it debuted bassist Cliff Williams, but it really is more of a final curtain to the band's early years.

It would be the last produced by Vanda & Young, the legendary Australian production team who also helmed hits by the Easybeats, and it was the last before AC/DC became superstars. As such, it's perhaps the most overlooked of their '70s records, also because, frankly, it is the most uneven of them. Not that it's a bad record far from it, actually.
There are a few genuine classics here, most notably "Down Payment Blues" and "Up to My Neck in You," and there's a real appeal in how Bon Scott's gutter poems of excess are reaching a mythic level; there's a real sense that he truly does believe that rock & roll leads straight to hell on "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation." But overall, the record is just a bit too wobbly, one where the parts don't add up to a record as hard and addictive as before  but there's still plenty worth hearing here.

 Tracklist

01.  Rock 'n' Roll Damnation   (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:06

02.  Gimme a Bullet  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:20

03.  Down Payment Blues  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 5:40

04.  Gone Shootin'  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 5:22

05.  Riff Raff  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 5:14

06.  Sin City  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 4:45

07.  Up to My Neck in You  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 4:12

08.  What's Next to the Moon  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:42

09.  Cold Hearted Man  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3:32

10.  Kicked in the Teeth  (A.Young, M.Young, B.Scott)  - 3.58

Released:  25 May 1978

Recorded at:  Albert Studios in Sydney, Australia

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  39:43

Label:  Atlantic

Producer:  Harry Vanda, George Young

Personnel

Bon Scott – lead vocals

Angus Young – lead guitar

Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals

Phil Rudd – drums

Kansas - Point Of Know Return (1977)

"Point Of Know Return" is the fifth album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977.

On This is recording, includes their most famous tune, "Dust in the Wind." The band is in peak form and also churned out the single "Point of Know Return," which is still played daily on classic rock stations.

The huge success of Kansas's previous effort, "Leftoverture", brought a new kind of pressure. While they were no longer desperately poor and starving for a hit, the band wondered whether they would be able to build on or, at least, maintain the level of achievement the years of recording and touring had brought them. The sessions for their follow-up LP, "Point of Know Return", were filled with tension as singer/songwriter Steve Walsh, who had always been uncomfortable with the artistic direction of the band, left the group briefly. Years later, Walsh would admit in an interview that he had been something of a prima donna at this point.

While their pop-oriented approach and standard rock guitar sound helped define the classic rock sound of the '70s, careful listening reveals that this band's talent goes beyond colleagues such as Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Boston. Their arrangements and time signatures more accurately reflect the music of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. "Paradox" and "The Spider" are both excellent examples of their progressive approach.
Unfortunately, the band always struggled to maintain a healthy balance of progression combined with pop. That made for such awkward moments here as "Portrait (He Knew)" and "Lightning's Hand." Yet despite the minor inconsistencies and a dated sound, their interplay and superior musicianship make this both an essential classic rock and progressive rock recording.

Track listing

01.  Point of Know Return  (Phil Ehart, Robby Steinhardt, Steve Walsh)  - 3:13

02.  Paradox  (Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh)  - 3:50

03.  The Spider  (Walsh)  - 2:05

04.  Portrait (He Knew)  (Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh)  - 4:38

05.  Closet Chronicles  (Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh)  - 6:31

06.  Lightning's Hand  (Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh)  - 4:24

07.  Dust in the Wind  (Livgren)  - 3:28

08.  Sparks of the Tempest  (Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh)  - 4:18

09.  Nobody's Home  (Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh)  - 4:40

10.  Hopelessly Human  (Livgren)  - 7:17

Released:  October 11, 1977

Recorded at:  Woodland Sound, Nashville, TN and Studio In The Country, Bogalusa, LA

Genre:  Progressive rock

Length:  43:59

Label:  Epic

Producer:  Jeff Glixman

Personnel

Phil Ehart - drums, timpani, chimes, additional percussion

Dave Hope - bass

Kerry Livgren - synthesizers, piano, electric and acoustic guitars, additional percussion

Robby Steinhardt - violins, viola, backing vocals, lead vocals

Steve Walsh - organ, synthesizers, vibraphone, piano, lead vocals, backing vocals, additional percussion

Rich Williams - electric and acoustic guitars

The Doobie Brothers - Stampede (1975)

"Stampede" is the fifth studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers, released in 1975. It was the final album by the band before Michael McDonald took over from Tom Johnston.  "Stampede" showed the band diversifying elements of their sound more than ever before. Combining elements of their old sound as well as country-rock, Funk and folk music. Many guest musicians contributed on the album including Maria Muldaur, Ry Cooder and Curtis Mayfield. The first single released from this album was "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)", a classic Motown tune written by the legendary songwriting trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland. Tom Johnston had wanted to record the song for several years. "I thought that would be a killer track to cover," he said. "It's probably one of my favorite songs of all time. I thought our version came out great."

The second single, was "Sweet Maxine" which was more akin to the Doobie Brothers' earlier hits style-wise. "Pat wrote the music to this and I wrote the words, " Johnston recalled. "And Billy Payne had a lot to do with the sound of the song, because of his incredible keyboard playing."  The third and final single was Patrick Simmons' "I Cheat the Hangman". It is a somber outlaw ballad that was inspired by the story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. "It's about a ghost returning to his home after the Civil War and not realizing he's dead," said Simmons about the song. The album version of the song is a progressive rock-style composition ending in a twisted collage of strings, horns and synthesizers made to sound like ghostly wails. "We'd cut the track, and we kicked around how to develop the ending-I thought about synthesizers and guitar solos. Ted Templeman got to thinking about it, and he ran it past [arranger] Nick DeCaro for some orchestration ideas. 'Night on Bald Mountain' by Mussorgsky really inspired the wildness of the strings, and Nick came up with the chorale thing at the end." The ambitious "I Cheat the Hangman".

"Neal's Fandango", inspired by the Santa Cruz mountains is occasionally played on San Francisco Bay Area classic rock station KFOX because of the Doobie Brothers' South Bay roots.

Track listing

01.  Sweet Maxine  (Johnston, Simmons) - 4:26

02.  Neal's Fandango  (Simmons)-  3:16

03.  Texas Lullaby  (Johnston) - 5:00

04.  Music Man  (Johnston) - 3:28

05.  Slack Key Soquel Rag  (Simmons) - 1:50

06.  Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)  (Holland-Dozier-Holland) - 3:39

07.  I Cheat the Hangman  (Simmons) - 6:38

08.  Précis  (Baxter) - 0:56

09.  Rainy Day Crossroad Blues  (Johnston) - 3:45

10.  I Been Workin' on You  (Johnston) - 4:22

11.  Double Dealin' Four Flusher  (Simmons)  3:30

Released:  April 25, 1975

Recorded at:  Warner Brothers Studios, North Hollywood, CA, Burbank Studios, Burbank, CA, Curlom Studios, Chicago, IL and The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA., Creative Workshop, Nashville, TN

Genre:  Rock

Length:  40:50

Label:  Warner Bros.

Producer:  Ted Templeman

Personnel

Tom Johnston - guitars, vocals

Patrick Simmons - guitars, vocals

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - guitar, steel guitar

Tiran Porter - bass, vocals

John Hartman - drums

Keith Knudsen - drums, vocals

Bill Payne - keyboards

Ry Cooder - bottleneck guitar

Maria Muldaur - vocals

Karl Himmel - drums and percussion

Conte and Pete Candoli - trumpets

Bobbye Hall Porter - congas

Victor Feldman - marimba, percussion

Sherlie Matthews - vocals on

Venetta Fields - vocals

Jessica Smith – vocals

Ted Templeman - percussion

Little Feat - Time Loves A Hero (1977)

"Time Loves A Hero" is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Little Feat, released in 1977. The album cover depicts the Cattolica di Stilo.

When Little Feat headed into the studio to record "Time Loves a Hero", tensions between the bandmembers more specifically, Lowell George and the rest of the band were at a peak. George had not only succumbed to various addictions, but he was growing restless with the group's fondness for extending their jams into territory strikingly reminiscent of jazz fusion. The rest of the group brought in Ted Templeman, who previously worked on their debut and produced "Sailin' Shoes", to mediate the sessions. George wasn't thrilled with that, but that's probably not the only reason why his presence isn't large on this release all signs point to his frustration with the band, and he wasn't in great health, so he just didn't contribute to the record. He wrote one song, the pleasant but comparatively faceless "Rocket in My Pocket," and collaborated with Paul Barrere on "Keepin' Up with the Joneses." Barrere was responsible for the only bright moments on the album, the ingratiatingly silly "Old Folks Boogie" and, along with Bill Payne and Ken Gradney, the funky singalong title track. Elsewhere, Barrere and Payne come up dry, turning out generic pieces that are well played but not as memorable as comparable Doobie Brothers cuts from the same time. Then there's "Day at the Dog Races," a lengthy fusion jam that Templeman and everyone in the band loved except for George, who, according to Bud Scoppa's liner notes in Hotcakes & Outtakes, disparagingly compared it to Weather Report. He was right no matter how well Little Feat play on this track, it comes across as self-serving indulgence, and the clearest sign on this muddled album that they had indeed lost the plot.

Track listing

01.  Hi Roller  (Paul Barrère)  - 3:35

02.  Time Loves a Hero  (Barrère, Kenny Gradney, Bill Payne)  - 3:47

03.  Rocket in My Pocket  (Lowell George)  - 3:25

04.  Day at the Dog Races  (Barrère, Sam Clayton, Gradney, Richie Hayward, Payne)  - 6:27

05.  Old Folks Boogie  (Barrère)  - 3:31

06.  Red Streamliner  (Payne, Fran Tate)  - 4:44

07.  New Delhi Freight Train  (Terry Allen)  - 3:42

08.  Keepin' up With the Joneses  (Barrère, George)  - 3:51

09.  Missin' You  (Barrère)  - 2:21

Released:  May 1977

Recorded at:  Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, CA; Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood, CA; Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA and Record Plant, Sausalito, CA

Genre:  Southern Rock, Jazz Funk

Length:  35:23

Label:  Warner Bros.

Producer:  Ted Templeman

Personnel

Paul Barrère - guitar, vocals

Sam Clayton - congas, percussion, vocals

Lowell George - vocals, guitar

Kenny Gradney - bass

Richie Hayward - drums, percussion, vocals

Bill Payne - keyboards, synthesizer, marimba, vocals

Greg Adams - trumpet

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - dobro

Emilio Castillo - tenor saxophone

Mic Gillette - trombone, trumpet

Stephen "Doc" Kupka - baritone saxophone

Mike McDonald - vocals

Lenny Pickett - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

Patrick Simmons - guitar, vocals

Fred Tackett - mandocello, guitar

America - Hideaway (1976)

"Hideaway" is the sixth original studio album by American folk rock trio America, released by Warner Bros. Records in April 1976. The album was produced by legendary Beatles producer George Martin.

For those who think of America as purveyors of airily pleasant, driving-with-the-windows down folk-rock songs, this one may be a jolt. On the wintry "Hideaway" from 1976, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek continue to grow away from the relative acoustic simplicity of their earlier LPs in favor of a more lush and ornate pop sound. But unlike 1974's Holiday LP, which was an earlier foray into Beatle-esque, Magical-Mystery-Tour-era ornamentation, the stepped up production flourishes here don't always work to advantage.

Virtually all of the songs are loaded, overloaded? with vocal harmonies, horns and strings. That's not to say "Hideaway" is lacking in good songs. "Letter," "Amber Cascades," "Jet Boy Blue" and "Lovely Night," for example, are pop tunes whose hooks eventually sink in. Likewise, the ballads "Can't You See" and "Who Loves You" have their charm after a while. But casual listeners should beware: the gauzy vocal arrangements can sometimes obtrude, as can the abundant horns and strings. Also, there are two orchestral instrumentals credited to producer George Martin. Finally, there is something between the lines here that feels different a kind of lyrical solemnity that is new, at least in such quantity.

Track listing

01.  Lovely Night  (Gerry Beckley)  - 2:33

02.  Amber Cascades  (Dewey Bunnell)  - 2:51

03.  Don't Let It Get You Down  (Dewey Bunnell)  - 2:58

04.  Can't You See  (Dan Peek)  - 2:23

05.  Watership Down  (Gerry Beckley)  - 4:57

06.  She's Beside You  (Dan Peek)  - 2:58

07.  Hideaway Part I  (Dewey Bunnell)  - 1:32

08.  She's A Liar  (Gerry Beckley)  - 3:30

09.  Letter  (Dewey Bunnell) - 3:06

10.  Today's the Day  (Dan Peek)  - 3:15

11.  Jet Boy Blue  (Dan and Catherine Peek)  - 3:23

12.  Who Loves You  (Gerry Beckley)  - 4:33

13.  Hideaway Part II  (Dewey Bunnell)  - 2:00

Released:  April 9, 1976

Recorded at:  Caribou Ranch, Nederland, Colorado, February 1976

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Label:  Warner Bros.

Producer:  George Martin

Personnel

Dewey Bunnell - vocal, guitar, drums

Dean Peek - Vocals, guitar

Gerry Beckley - vocal, guitar, keyboard

George Martin – piano

Mother´s Finest - Live (1979)

The potential of the first black rock band in history was easily perceptible after the release of their self-titled debut-album. In 1979, after 3 studio recordings, they released what they could best: a live album which in terms of energy, perfectionism and virtuosity could not have been any better. Groovin' Rock-songs that made everybody dance, combined with some real hitting soul-ballads. The failure of a band that had as exciting a vocalist as Joyce Kennedy and did both solid rock and fine grinding funk proved one of the '80s' more puzzling questions.
It couldn't just be attributed to racism either, because Mother's Finest actually did better among white audiences than black ones.

Tracklist

01.  Somebody to Love  (Darby, Slick)  - 5:55   

02.  Fire  (Mother´s Finest)  - 4:10   

03.  Mickey's Monkey  (Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland  - 6:03   

04.  Give You All the Love (Inside of Me)  (Mother´s Finest)  - 6:30   

05.  Baby Love  (Mother´s Finest)  - 4:13   

06.  Magic Carpet Ride  (John Kay, Rushton Moreve)  - 5:11   

07.  Love Changes  (Skip Scarborough)  - 5:21   

08.  Watch My Stylin'  (Mother´s Finest)  - 4:46   

09.  Don't Wanna Come Back  (Mother´s Finest)  - 3:48   

10.  Can´t Fight The Feeling  (Mother´s Finest)  - 4:25

Personnel

Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy - Vocals

Glenn Murdock - Vocals, Backing Vocals

Wizzard - Bass, Backing Vocals  

B.B. Queen - Drums, Percussion   

Moses Mo - Guitar, Backing Vocals 

Mike Keck - Keyboards [Keys], Percussion

Notes

Released:  1979

Label:  Legacy

Genre:  Rock, Funk, Live

Length:  42:13

Producer:  Bobby Colomby

Peter Tosh - Mystic Man (1979)

Having flirted with commercial acceptance on "Bush Doctor", the former Wailers guitarist reasserted his cranky contrarian militancy on this album which is why he never reached the mega-stardom of his countryman Bob Marley. Unlike his old Wailers bandmate, Tosh had little interest in leavening his music's fiercely political bent, which effectively cemented his acquired-taste status (at least to American audiences). "Rumors of War" and "Fight On" explicitly address black majority rule in South Africa, a subject that few '70s artists even touched. Similarly, "Recruiting Soldiers" vows to physically round up enough fighters for the inevitable resistance, while "Jah She No" casts the poor's struggle to survive in stark, elemental terms ("Must righteous live in pain/And always look to shame?"). "Mystic Man" is a proud declaration of Tosh's lifestyle, which he pointedly contrasts against Western consumerist decadence (among other things, swearing off frankfurters, hamburgers, and any notions of drinking "pink, yellow, blue, green soda"). "Buk-in-hamm Palace is the biggest departure, building its outlaw theme of smoking marijuana in the Queen of England's home over a bubbling disco rhythm. It's easily the most accessible moment here, driven by Tosh's crack backup band of the time, Word, Sound & Power. There's no doubting Tosh's sincerity, though it sometimes founders in clichés and clunky lyric writing (like "Crystal Ball"'s coupling of "city" and "sh*tty"). From a strict songwriting viewpoint, "Mystic Man" isn't as distinctive as its predecessors, but a representative snapshot of Tosh's provocative artistry. "The Day the Dollar Die" is a roots classic, in which Tosh pleads his case for capitalism's demise over a shimmering pop-reggae groove  proof he could craft compelling tunes to match his message.

Track listing

01.  Mystic Man  (Peter Tosh)  - 5:54

02.  Recruiting Soldiers  (Peter Tosh)  - 4:26

03.  Can't You See  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:42

04.  Jah Seh No  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:20

05.  Fight On  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:20

06.  Buk-In-Hamm Palace  (Peter Tosh)  - 4:39

07.  The Day The Dollar Die  (Peter Tosh)  - 4:48

08.  Crystal Ball  (Peter Tosh)  - 5:11

09.  Rumours Of War  (Peter Tosh)  - 3:25

Released:  1979

Recorded at:  Dynamic Sound Studio, Kingston, Jamaica

Genre:  Reggae

Length:  44:24

Label:  Rolling Stones Records

Producer:  Peter Tosh, Word, Sound and Power (Keith Sterling, Mikey Chung, Robbie Lyn, Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar)

Recorded By & Mixed By:  Geoffrey Chung

Personnel

Peter Tosh - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards

Brenda White, Gwen Guthrie, The Tamlins, Yvonne Lewis - Backing Vocals

Robbie Shakespeare - Bass, Guitar

Sly Dunbar - Drums, Percussion

Mikey Chung - Keyboards, Guitar, Percussion

Robbie Lyn - Organ, Piano 

Uziah "Sticky" Thompson - Percussion

George Young - Alto Saxophone, Flute

Howard Johnson - Baritone Saxophone

Lou Marini - Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Ed Walsh  - Synthesizer [Oberheim]

Barry Rogers - Trombone

Mike Lawrence - Trumpet

Sammy Figueroa - Percussion

Keith Sterling - Acoustic piano 

Ed Elizalde - Lead guitar

Bintangs - Genuine Bull (1975)

De Bintangs zijn een van de oudste Nederlandse popgroepen.

De groep werd in 1961 in Beverwijk opgericht door Frank (bas, zang) en Arti Kraaijeveld (gitaar, zang). Men speelde indorock (Bintang betekent 'ster' in het Indonesisch en is ook een biermerk) maar ging al snel over tot een ruig soort rhythm & blues. De optredens waren enerverend en de Bintangs werden een soort Nederlandse Rolling Stones - de Mick Jagger-achtige stem van Gus Pleines droeg daar zeker toe bij.

De Bintangs kenden zeer veel bezettingen, met Frank Kraaijeveld als (bijna) constante factor. Frank was er alleen enige tijd tussenuit in de periode 1972-1974 toen hij met zijn broer Arti de groep Kraaijeveld oprichtte (later Circus Kraaijeveld). Onder anderen zanger Gus Pleines en de gitaristen Jack van Schie en Jan Wijte hebben met onderbrekingen vele jaren deel uitgemaakt van de band.

In Wales wordt onder supervisie van Link Wray-producer Steve Verocca "Genuine Bull" opgenomen. Dit uitstekende album staat inmiddels te boek als klassieker, al zijn de verkoopresultaten teleurstellend. Gitarist op deze plaat is het jeugdige talent Jaap Castricum.

Track listing

01.  Hobo Man  (Steve Verroca, Link Wray)  - 3:13

02.  Insight Inside Out  (Gus Pleines)  - 3:43

03.  Agnes Grey  (Arti Kraayeveld)  - 5:26

04.  Open and Blusted  (Steve Verroca)  - 3:34

05.  Biyou Woman  (Steve Verroca)  - 4:14

06.  New Orleans, New Orleans  (Steve Verroca)  - 3:02

07.  Handmade High-Heeled Fleshcoloured Boots  (Gus Pleines)  - 3:25

08.  Traveling Mood  (James Waynes  - 3:40

09.  Do John  (Steve Verroca)  - 5:30

10.  Cold War Generation Kids  (Rob Ten Bokum, Yme De Jong)  - 4:16

11.  Gone Dead Train  (Nitzsche, Titelman) (bonus track)  - 3:29

12.  Wait  (Justman, Wolf) (bonus track)  - 2:52

13.  I Been Hoodood  (Rebennack) (bonus track)  - 4:14

Released:  1975

Recorded at:  Rockfield, Monmouth, S.Wales

Label:  Corazong Records

Genre:  Rhythm & Blues

Length:  50:38

Producer:  Steve Verroca

Personnel

Frank Kraaijeveld - Bass, Vocals

Gus Pleines - Vocals, Percussion

Harry Schierbeek - Drums, Percussion 

Jack Van Schie - Guitar

Japie Castricum - Guitar, Piano

Earth & Fire - To The World Of The Future (1975)

Earth & Fire was een Nederlandse popgroep uit de jaren zeventig, die uit elementen van psychedelica, pop en symfo een uniek geluid creëerde, dat begin jaren '70 een hele reeks succesvolle en bovenal prachtige singlehits oplevede. De Voorschotense-Voorburgse-Leidschendamse groep had als boegbeelden Jerney Kaagman (zang) en de tweelingbroers Gerard (keyboards) en Chris Koerts (gitaar). De overige bandleden wisselden in de loop van de tijd. Het vierde album "To The World Of The Future", uitgebracht op 15 mei 1975.Dit album herbergt twee nummers die hoge ogen gooiden in de hitlijsten van weleer. Het zijn "Love Of Life" en "Only Time Will Tell".

Track listing

01.  "To The World Of The Future"  (Chris Koerts, Hans Ziech)  - 11:30

02.  "How Time Flies" (Ton van der Kleij)  - 3:17

03.  "The Last Seagull"  (Chris Koerts, Gerard Koerts, Theo Hurts)  - 7:34

04.  "Only Time Will Tell"  (Chris Koerts, Gerard Koerts, Hans Ziech)  - 3:40

05.  "Voice From Yonder"  (Theo Hurts)  - 6:58

06.  "Love Of Life"  (Chris Koerts, Gerard Koerts, Hans Ziech)  - 3:07

07.  "Circus"  (Gerard Koerts, Jerney Kaagman)  - 6:12

Personnel

Jerney Kaagman - zang

Theo Hurts - Bas, gitaar, arrangeur

Ton van der Kleij - Drums, slagwerk, xylofoon

Gerard Koerts - Toetsen, arrangeur

Chris Koerts - Gitaar, toetsen, zang, arrangeur

Neppy Noya - drums

T.Tieman van de Laars - harp

Notes

Released:  1975

Opgenomen in:  de Soundpush Studio's te Blaricum

Label:  Polydor

Genre:  Progressive Rock, Symphonic Rock

Length:  42:19

Producer:  Jaap Eggermont

Manassas - Down The Road (1973)

"Down The Road" is the second and last album by Stephen Stills' band Manassas. It was released in 1973.

Unfortunately this was the last gasp for Manassas as Stephen Stills was again moving on. In retrospect he should have realized that this band was a keeper.

All the musicians from the classic first release were back. Drummer Dallas Taylor, guitarist Chris Hillman, percussionist Joe Lala, pianist Al Perkins, bassist Fuzzy Samuels, and steel guitarist Al Perkins formed a tight and talented unit. They were also a notable live band. Stills, Hillman, and Taylor shared production chores for the second album in a row.

Members of the group wrote or co-wrote five of the ten tracks with Stills. That means Stills took a solo writing credit for the other five, which was a much smaller percentage than the first album and may say something about his overall commitment. There is a lot of listenable material here. “Isn’t It About Time” is a hard edged rocker with Joe Walsh bringing his guitar virtuosity to the mix. “Down The Road” is another competent rock tune. Even Chris Hillman gets into the rock ‘n’ roll act on “Lies” with his lyrics about superficial love. “Rollin’ The Stone” is the final track and it sends Manassas rocking into the night. To truly appreciate this track you need to turn your stereo system up to near sonic levels, sit back, and hang on to something.

One of the favorite track may be “Pensamiento” which is a nice Latin influenced rock fusion piece with Stills providing some stellar piano work.

"Down The Road" remains very representative of early seventies rock. It was also a farewell to one of the better bands of its time.

Track listing

01.  Isn't It About Time (Stills)  - 3:02

02.  Lies (Hillman)  - 2:55

03.  Pensamiento (Escoto, Stills)  - 2:36

04.  So Many Times (Hillman, Stills)  - 3:30

05.  Business on the Street (Stills)  - 2:55

06.  Do You Remember the Americans (Stills)  - 2:05

07.  Down the Road (Stills)  - 3:16

08.  City Junkies (Stills)  - 2:50

09.  Guaguancó de Veró (Lala, Stills)  - 2:51

10.  Rollin' My Stone (Samuel, Stills)  - 4:50

Personnel

Stephen Stills - guitar, piano, bass, vocals

Dallas Taylor - drums

Chris Hillman - guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals

Joe Lala - percussion, vocals

Al Perkins - guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo

Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel - bass, vocals

Paul Harris - piano

Joe Walsh - slide guitar

Bobby Whitlock - keyboards

Sydney George - flute

Jerry Aiello - organ

Charlie Grimes - guitar

Guille Garcia - percussion

Lachy Espinol - percussion

Pat Arnold - vocals

Notes
Released:  April 23, 1973

Genre:   Country Rock

Length:  30:50

Label:  Atlantic

Producer:  Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor

Leonard Cohen - Live Songs (1973)

"Live Songs" is Leonard Cohen's first live album, released during the three-year silence between "Songs of Love and Hate" and "New Skin for the Old Ceremony". It consists of recordings from concerts performed mostly in Europe in 1970 and 1972. Cohen is backed by a medium-sized, country-influenced group, which includes guitarist/fiddler Charlie Daniels and vocalist "Jennifer Warren", who would soon become famous as Jennifer Warnes, among other things a popular interpreter of Cohen's songs.

The album consists mostly of reinterpretations (often with additional or significantly altered lyrics) of songs from Cohen's second album, Songs From a Room ("Nancy" is a version of "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy", and "Improvisation" is an extended instrumental guitar trio version of the vamp from "You Know Who I Am", which is also featured). Neither Songs of Leonard Cohen nor the then-recent Songs of Love and Hate (which featured a live track, "Let's Sing Another Song, Boys", culled from the same tour as the 1970 recordings here) are represented. The other tracks are a cover of the folk standard "Passing Through", and two new compositions: "Please Don't Pass Me By (A Disgrace)" (a thirteen-minute singalong recorded in 1970) and "Minute Prologue". A "bonus" track, "Queen Victoria", was recorded by Cohen alone in his Tennessee hotel room in 1972.

At the beginning of a Paris, France performance of "Bird on the Wire", Cohen recites the first verse of a French translation of the song's lyric.

Tracklist

Side 1 (Recorded in 1972)

01.  Minute Prologue  (Cohen)  - 1:12 (London)

02.  Passing Through  (Blakeslee, Cohen)  - 4:05 (London)

03.  You Know Who I Am  (Cohen)  - 5:22 (Brussels)

04.  Bird on the Wire  (Cohen)  - 4:27 (Paris)

05.  Nancy  (Cohen)  - 3:48 (London)

06.  Improvisation  (Cohen)  - 3:17 (Paris)

Side 2 (Recorded in 1970 and 1972)

01.  Story of Isaac  (Cohen)  - 3:56 (Berlin)

02.  Please Don't Pass Me By (A Disgrace)  (Cohen)  - 13:00 (London)

03.  Tonight Will Be Fine  (Cohen)  - 6:06 (Isle of Wight)

04.  Queen Victoria  (Cohen)  - 3:28 (Tennessee)

Personnel

Leonard Cohen - vocals, acoustic guitar

Jennifer Warren - vocals

Corlynn Hanney - vocals

Donna Washburn - vocals

Ron Cornelius - acoustic guitar, electric guitar

David O'Connor - acoustic guitar

Charlie Daniels - fiddle, electric bass

Bob Johnston - harmonica, organ

Notes

Released:  May 1973

Recorded:  1970, 1972 in London, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Isle Of Wight, Tennessee

Genre:  Folk, Live

Length:  49:10

Label:  Columbia

Producer:  Bob Johnston

Paul McCartgney & Wings - Red Rose Speedway (1973)

"Red Rose Speedway" is the second album by Paul McCartney & Wings and was released in 1973 after the relatively weak commercial performance of the band's debut "Wild Life", which had been credited only to the then-unknown Wings.

Paul McCartney made a record with his wife and a record with his pickup band where democracy is allegedly the conceit even if it never sounds that way, so he returns to a solo effort, making the most disjointed album he ever cut. There's a certain fascination to its fragmented nature, not just because it's decidedly on the softer side of things, but because his desire for homegrown eccentricity has been fused with his inclination for bombastic art rock à la Abbey Road. Consequently, "Red Rose Speedway" winds up being a really strange record, one that veers toward the schmaltzy AOR MOR (especially on the hit single "My Love"), yet is thoroughly twisted in its own desire toward domestic art. Yes, the greatest songs here are slight "Big Barn Bed," "One More Kiss," and "When the Night"  but this is a deliberately slight record. Work your way into the inner circle, and McCartney's little flourishes are intoxicating  not just the melodies, but the facile production and offhand invention.

Tracklist

01.  Big Barn Bed   - 3:48

02.  My Love   - 4:07

03.  Get on the Right Thing  - 4:17

04.  One More Kiss  - 2:28

05.  Little Lamb Dragonfly  - 6:20

06.  Single Pigeon  - 1:52

07.  When the Night  - 3:38

08.  Loup (1st Indian on the Moon)  - 4:23

09.  Medley: Hold Me Tight/Lazy Dynamite/Hands of Love/Power Cut  - 11:14

Personnel

Paul McCartney - vocals, piano, bass, guitar, mellotron, electric piano, celeste, Moog synthesizer

Linda McCartney - vocals, electric piano, organ, harpsichord, percussion

Denny Laine - vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica

Henry McCullough - guitar, backing vocals, percussion

Denny Seiwell - drums, backing vocals, percussion, bass on "Single Pigeon"

Hugh McCracken - electric guitar

David Spinozza - electric guitar

Alan Parsons - recording engineer

Notes
Released:  30 April 1973

Recorded:  in Los Angeles and at Olympic Studios, London

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Length:  42:13

Label:  Apple

Producer:  Paul McCartney

All songs written and composed by:  Paul and Linda McCartney

Kayak - See See The Sun (1973)

Kayak II is the second album by the Dutch progressive rock band Kayak.

At first, the title was to be "His Master's Noise". But the band expected problems with the record label "His Master's Voice" (HMV) , and so they chose simply for "Kayak". The album is also known as "Kayak II" and "Alibi" (after its first track).

"Kayak II" is the perfect marriage of the band’s hard rock tendencies, their dazzling symphonic edges and the adventurous middle ground between the two. The songs are top-notch slices of upbeat, exciting progressive.

The album opens with an addictive dose of high energy, but it’s the second song, “Wintertime”, that really sets the tone. Somewhat melancholic in the verses, the chorus becomes almost Supertramp-ish in its brightness. Side 1 is rounded out by two very different songs: “Mountain Too Rough”, a mostly-mellow trip into folky atmospheres with some deliberately disruptive sound effects occurring. “They Get To Know Me” offers a killer momentum, symphonic and Genesis-like in spots, with a healthy bit of aggression, especially when guitarist Johan Slager takes over. It’s always so enjoyable to witness this song unfolding.

Side two is even more diverse in scope than side one. “Serenades” is a bouncy number, hinting at the sound they’d perfect on the ‘Starlight Dancer’ album. “Woe And Alas” offers slightly tricky timing and an impassioned Max Werner vocal. Some gorgeous layers are built up as the song moves along. We get the more gentle side of Kayak with the caress of “Mireille”, a short, to-the-point instrumental that provides a good balance to the more involved stuff here. The album’s final moments couldn’t be better: “Trust In The Machine” has a demented bit of vocal from Werner and swirling keyboard sounds that envelop the rest of the music, that music being kinetic stuff that’s wild but never out of control.

Tracklist

01.  Alibi  (Scherpenzeel)  - 3:39

02.  Wintertime  (Van Leeuwen, Koopman)  - 2:51

03.  Mountain Too Rough  (Scherpenzeel) -  3:57

04.  They Get To Know Me  (Van Leeuwen, Koopman)  - 9:18

05.  Serenades  (Koopman, Scherpenzeel)  - 3:33

06.  Woe And Alas  (Scherpenzeel)  - 3:01

07.  Mireille (Instr.)  (Koopman)  - 2:13

08.  Trust In The Machine  (Van Leeuwen, Koopman)  - 6:06

09.  His Master's Noise  (Koopman, Scherpenzeel, Van Leeuwen)  - 1:45

Personnel

Ton Scherpenzeel - keyboards, vocals, accordion

Pim Koopman - drums, percussion, marimba, vocals

Max Werner - lead vocals, percussion, mellotron

Cees van Leeuwen - bass, harmonica

Johan Slager - guitars, vocals

Notes

Released:  1974

Recorded at:  Intertone Studio, Heemstede, The Netherlands

Genre:  Progressive Rock

Label:  EMI

Producer:  Gerrit-Jan Leenders and Kayak

The Eagles - Desperado (1973)

Desperado" is the second studio album by the American rock band Eagles. "Desperado" is a concept album, based on the Dalton gang and the Old West.

If Don Henley was the sole member of the Eagles underrepresented on their debut album, "Eagles", with only two lead vocals and one co-songwriting credit, he made up for it on their follow-up, the "concept" album "Desperado". The concept had to do with Old West outlaws, but it had no specific narrative. On "Eagles", the group had already begun to marry itself to a Southwest sound and lyrical references, from the Indian-style introduction of "Witchy Woman" to the Winslow, AZ, address in "Take It Easy." All of this became more overt on "Desperado", and it may be that Henley, who hailed from Northeast Texas, had the greatest affinity for the subject matter. In any case, he had co-writing credits on eight of the 11 selections and sang such key tracks as "Doolin-Dalton" and the title song. What would become recognizable as Henley's lyrical touch was apparent on those songs, which bore a serious, world-weary tone. Henley had begun co-writing with Glenn Frey, and they contributed the album's strongest material, which included the first single, "Tequila Sunrise," and "Desperado" (strangely never released as a single). But where Eagles seemed deliberately to balance the band's many musical styles and the talents of the band's members, "Desperado", despite its overarching theme, often seemed a collection of disparate tracks  "Out of Control" was a raucous rocker, while "Desperado" was a painfully slow ballad backed by strings  with other bandmembers' contributions tacked on rather than integrated. Randy Meisner was down to two co-writing credits and one lead vocal ("Certain Kind of Fool"), while Bernie Leadon's two songs, "Twenty-One" and "Bitter Creek," seemed to come from a different record entirely. The result was an album that was simultaneously more ambitious and serious-minded than its predecessor and also slighter and less consistent.

Tracklist

01.  "Doolin-Dalton"  (Glenn Frey, J. D. Souther, Don Henley, Jackson Browne)  - 3:26

02.  "Twenty-One"  (Bernie Leadon)  - 2:11

03.  "Out of Control"  (Henley, Frey, Tom Nexon)  - 3:04

04.  "Tequila Sunrise"  (Henley, Frey)  - 2:52

05.  "Desperado"  (Henley, Frey)  - 3:36

06.  "Certain Kind of Fool"  (Randy Meisner, Henley, Frey)  - 3:02

07.  "Doolin-Dalton (Instrumental)"  (Frey, Souther, Henley, Browne)  - 0:48

08.  "Outlaw Man"  (David Blue)  - 3:34

09.  "Saturday Night"  (Meisner, Henley, Frey, Leadon)  - 3:20

10.  "Bitter Creek"  (Leadon)  - 5:00

11.  "Doolin-Dalton / Desperado (Reprise)"  (Frey, Souther, Henley, Browne)  - 4:50

Personnel

Glenn Frey - guitars, keyboards, piano, harmonica, vocals

Don Henley - drums, percussion, vocals

Randy Meisner - bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals

Bernie Leadon - guitars, mandolin, banjo, vocals

Notes

Released:  April 17, 1973

Recorded at:  Island Studios, London, England

Genre:  Country Rock

Length:  35:40

Label:  Asylum

Producer:  Glyn Johns