Soundtrack - All This And World War II (1976)

"All This and World War II" was, to put it mildly, an odd film. Cobbled together almost entirely from newsreel footage of World War II, all taken from the vaults of Movietone News, the film wasn't a documentary or an exercise in nostalgia, it was constructed as an anti-war film thanks to the presence of Beatles music which functioned as commentary on the events as they unfolded. Beatles music it may have been, but it wasn't performed by the Beatles: the Fab Four's classic tunes were covered by an all-star cast of pop and rock stars, assembled under the direction of record exec Russ Regan and produced by Lou Reizner. These artists were teamed up with a bunch of studio pros, highlighted by pianist Nicky Hopkins, along with the London Symphony Orchestra, who gave this music the bombastic pomp a project like this deserved. If the film itself was quite odd most notoriously, it featured Nazi soldiers being run in reverse as "Get Back" played on the soundtrack the soundtrack itself isn't particularly strange or compelling. This is a Brit-centric soundtrack it was a British production after all  so it shouldn't be a surprise that it's heavy on British prog rockers and pop songwriters with an arty bent: Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne, Elton John, David Essex and Leo Sayer are all here, as are Ambrosia who may not be British but fit in well with that contingent. Then, there are mainstream superstars and middle-of-the-road artists like the Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Helen Reddy, Frankie Laine, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (separately, mind you), the forgotten Lynsey de Paul, Henry Gross, with the Brothers Johnson and Tina Turner added for some diversity. But the fact of it is, it doesn't really matter who is singing here: it all sounds roughly the same thanks to the London Symphony Orchestra, who gives every song here altogether too much pomp and circumstance. That means that anybody enticed by the prospect of Peter Gabriel reinventing "Strawberry Fields Forever" or Roy Wood running wild on "Lovely Rita" will be disappointed by the perfectly fine versions here because they are, at the core, Reizner and the London Symphony Orchestra's interpretations of these songs; Gabriel and Wood are merely invited guests.

Tracklist

01.  "Ambrosia - Magical Mystery Tour"  - 3:52
02.  "Elton John - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" - 6:15 (John Lennon,  on lead guitar & backing vocals)
03.  "Bee Gees - Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight"  - 3:17
04.  "Leo Sayer - I Am the Walrus" - 3:49
05.  "Bryan Ferry - She's Leaving Home" - 3:07
06.  "Roy Wood - Lovely Rita" - 1:13
07.  "Keith Moon - When I'm Sixty-Four" - 2:36
08.  "Rod Stewart - Get Back" - 4:24
09.  "Leo Sayer - Let It Be"  - 3:43
10.  "David Essex - Yesterday"  - 2:44
11.  "Jeff Lynne - With a Little Help from My Friends/Nowhere Man" -  6:56
12.  "Lynsey De Paul - Because" - 3:24
13.  "Bee Gees - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" - 1:54
14.  "Richard Cocciante - Michelle" -  4:00
15.  "The Four Seasons - We Can Work It Out" - 2:39
16.  "Helen Reddy - The Fool On The Hill" –  3:37
17.  "Frankie Laine - Maxwell's Silver Hammer" - 3:27
18.  "The Brothers Johnson - Hey Jude" - 4:58
19.  "Roy Wood - Polythene Pam" - 1:30
20.  "Bee Gees - Sun King" - 2:03
21.  "Status Quo - Getting Better" - 2:19
22.  "Leo Sayer - The Long and Winding Road"  - 4:47
23.  "Henry Gross - Help!" - 3:07
24.  "Peter Gabriel - Strawberry Fields Forever"  - 2:30
25.  "Frankie Valli - A Day in the Life"  - 4:04
26.  "Tina Turner - Come Together"  - 4:08
27.  "Will Malone & Lou Reizner - You Never Give Me Your Money"  - 3:04
28.  "The London Symphony Orchestra - The End"  - 2:26

Personnel
Barry Gibb – vocals
Robin Gibb – vocals
Maurice Gibb – vocals
Nicky Hopkins – piano
Les Hurdle – bass
Barry Morgan – drums
Ronnie Verrell – drums
Wil Malone – orchestral arrangement
Harry Rabinowitz – conductor
David Measham - conductor   

Notes
Released:  November 5, 1976
Genre:  Rock
Length:  98:45
Label:  Riva/20th Century Records
Producer:  Lou Reizner
All songs by:  Lennon–McCartney

The Pousette-Dart Band - The Pousette-Dart Band (1976)

The Pousette-Dart Band (also known as PDB) was an American soft rock group active in the 1970s and early 1980s. Originally conceived in 1973 as a string band from Cambridge, Massachusetts, PDB comprised Jon Pousette-Dart, John Troy and John Curtis. With a shift to a more commercially oriented sound and a steady succession of additional personnel, the group went on to record a series of albums for their label Capitol Records. Much of this self-titled debut album is in a countrified folk-pop style reminiscent of the Eagles, with nods to Jackson Browne, Gordon Lightfoot, and similar acts. Introspective acoustic guitar textures predominate ("Dancer" and "Woman in My Dreams" being two examples), but a few stylistic digressions can be found here as well. "Smile on Me" is a bouncy tune with bluegrass banjo/mandolin and an amusing stumbling chorus. "What You Need" has a halting reggae-tinged beat and punctuating brass. "Halo" is a bubbly toe-tapper with a Caribbean-flavored vocal. Perhaps the best song on the album is "All Your Lonely Hours," an edgy, haunting number with searingly bitter lyrics about a bad relationship ("You want everything for nothing/I don't think you'll ever die"). By and large, this is a fine effort worth hearing.

Tracklist

01.  "What Can I Say"  - 3:02  
02.  "Dancer"  - 2:31  
03.  "Freezing Hot"  - 3:41  
04.  "There's Been A Mistake"  - 2:54  
05.  "Harder"  - 3:19  
06.  "Woman In My Dreams"  - 4:00  
07.  "All Your Lonely Hours"  - 4:04  
08.  "What You Need"  - 3:00  
09.  "Halo"  - 3:00  
10.  "Smile On Me"  - 2:45 

Personnel
Jon Pousette-Dart - Guitar [Acoustic, Electric & Slide], Vocals
John G. Curtis - Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar [Acoustic & Electric], Vocals
John Folsom Troy - Bass, Vocals 
Allison Leroy Cook - Drums, Percussion
Kenneth Buttrey  - Drums, Percussion
Phil Baugh - Guitar [Pedal]
David Paul Briggs - Keyboards
Billy Puett - Reeds, Flute  
Shane Keister  - Synthesizer [Moog]
Dennis Good  - Trombone
George Tidwell - Trumpet

Notes
Released:  1976
Label:  Capitol Records
Genre:  Soft Rock
Length:  31:56
Producer:  Norbert Putnam

The Jacksons - The Jacksons (1976)

Released in 1976 for Epic Records and Philadelphia International Records as a joint venture. The album was the band's first for CBS, following their seven-year tenure on Motown as "The Jackson 5". Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson stayed with Motown when his brothers broke their contracts and defected to CBS; he was replaced by youngest Jackson brother Randy. Philadelphia International heads Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff produced and executive produced the album, including their first top ten hit in two years "Enjoy Yourself", but had a difficult time focusing on a sound for the now-grown-up boy band. However, the group was able for the first time to write their own material, something that had been denied to them at Motown. The Jacksons composed "Style of Life" and "Blues Away" on their own. "Blues Away" was the first published song written by lead singer Michael Jackson, who began to take a more percussive vocal approach beginning with this album. This album also spawned the second R&B single "Show You the Way to Go". The album itself placed #36 and #6 on the pop and R&B album charts respectively.

Tracklist

01. "Enjoy Yourself"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 3:00
02. "Think Happy"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 3:07
03. "Good Times"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 4:57
04. "Keep on Dancing"  (Dexter Wansel)  - 4:31
05. "Blues Away"  (Michael Jackson)  - 3:12
06. "Show You the Way to Go"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 5:30
07. "Living Together"  (Dexter Wansel)  - 4:26
08. "Strength of One Man"  (Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen)  - 3:56
09. "Dreamer"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 3:05
10. "Style of Life"  (Tito Jackson, Michael Jackson)  - 3:19

The Jacksons:
Michael
Tito
Jackie
Marlon
Randy

Notes
Released:  November 27, 1976
Recorded at:  Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genre:  Funk, Philadelphia Soul
Length:  39:27
Label:  Epic Records
Producer:  Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, McFadden & Whitehead, Victor Carstarphen, Dexter Wansel, The Jacksons

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

(49) Santana - Amigos (1976)

"Amigos" is the seventh studio album from Santana. The album contained a minor US hit single in "Let It Shine".

By the release of Amigos, the Santana band's seventh album, only Carlos Santana and David Brown remained from the band that conquered Woodstock, and only Carlos had been in the band continuously since. Meanwhile, the group had made some effort to arrest its commercial slide, hiring an outside producer, David Rubinson, and taking a tighter, more up-tempo, and more vocal approach to its music. The overt jazz influences were replaced by strains of R&B/funk and Mexican folk music.

"Amigos" features two solid instrumentals, the most noteworthy being "Europa," one of Carlos' trademark guitar works. Starting with pretty high-pitched twangs, it evolves into a potent solo in the Santana tradition. The group also displays its musical talents well in "Take Me With You." For the rest (except for an interesting flamenco intro on "Gitano"), "Amigos" represents the beginning of the slippage from Santana's top-notch studio album work that began after "Borboletta" and has continued to this day (with the exception of the studio cuts on "Moonflower", released shortly after "Amigos"). Tom Coster's keyboards are radiant enough, and Armando Peraza still does it with his bongos and conga, but the song quality and overall instrumentation do not measure up to the old standards. They reflect a shift to more-plain-sounding or less-refined Latin verselines and music or so-so funk, to later become mediocre at best.

Track listing

1.  Dance Sister Dance (Baila Mi Hermana)  (Leon Chancler, Thomas Joseph Coster, David J. Rubinson)  - 8:15

2.  Take Me With You  (T. Coster, L.N. Chancler)  - 5:27

3.  Let Me  (T. Coster, C. Santana)  - 4:51

4.  Gitano  (A. Peraza)  - 6:13

5.  Tell Me Are You Tired  (T. Coster, L.N. Chancler)  - 5:42

6.  Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)  (C. Santana, T. Coster)  - 5:06

7.  Let It Shine  (D. Brown, R. Gardner)  - 5:43

Released:  March 26, 1976

Recorded at:  Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco

Genre:  Latin Rock, Jazz Fusion

Length:  41:14

Label:  Columbia

Producer:  David Rubinson

Personnel

Carlos Santana – vocals, guitar, percussion

David Brown – bass

Tom Coster – keyboards, vocals

Leon "Ndugu" Chancler – drums, percussion

Armando Peraza – percussion, vocals

Greg Walker – vocals

Ivory Stone – vocals

Julia Tillman Waters – vocals

Maxine Willard Waters – vocals

(48) Led Zeppelin - Presence (1976)

"Presence" is the seventh studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976.
It was written and recorded during a tumultuous time in the band's history, as singer Robert Plant was recuperating from serious injuries he had sustained in a recent car accident.

"Presence" scales back the size of "Physical Graffiti" to a single album, but it retains the grandiose scope of that double record. If anything, "Presence" has more majestic epics than its predecessor, opening with the surging, ten-minute "Achilles Last Stand" and closing with the meandering, nearly ten-minute "Tea for One." In between, Led Zeppelin add the lumbering blues workout "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and the terse, menacing "For Your Life," which is the best song on the album. These four tracks take up the bulk of the album, leaving three lighthearted throwaways to alleviate the foreboding atmosphere  and pretensions of the epics.

Track listing

1.   Achilles Last Stand   (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant)  - 10:25

2.   For Your Life   (Page, Plant)  - 6:24

3.   Royal Orleans   (John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Page, Plant)  - 2:58

4.   Nobody's Fault but Mine   (Page, Plant)  - 6:16

5.   Candy Store Rock   (Page, Plant)  - 4:11

6.   Hots On for Nowhere   (Page, Plant)  - 4:43

7.   Tea for One   (Page, Plant)  - 9:27

Released:  31 March 1976

Recorded at:  Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  44:25

Label:  Swan Song

Producer:  Jimmy Page

Personnel

John Bonham - drums, percussion

John Paul Jones - four and eight-string bass guitars

Jimmy Page - electric and acoustic guitars, production

Robert Plant - lead vocals, harmonica

(47) Joe Walsh - You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind (1976)

"You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind" is a live album by Joe Walsh, released in 1976. Recorded live just before Joe joined up with Eagles, who also play on "Help Me Through the Night".

"You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind" contains six of Walsh's better-known songs.  Things start off with his last hit with the James Gang, "Walk Away," and then the album makes its way through "Meadows" and 18 minutes of " Rocky Mountain Way". The crowd loved it. Follow all that with "Time Out," then do "Help Me Thru the Night" acoustically with future bandmates Henley, Frey, and Felder helping out, and close things up with a profound and majestic "Turn to Stone," and you've got one heck of a Joe Walsh concert souvenir. In 1975, Walsh went on tour with a band containing, among many, two drummers (Joe Vitale and Andy Newmark), a second guitarist, and Jay Ferguson on keyboards. They must have given some fantastic concerts, and I just wonder what happened to all the rest of the material. As other reviewers ave remarked, these live recordings stripped the studio versions of much of their subtlety and clarity. 'Walk Away' is a rip-roaring start, and perhaps a new tune for those unfamiliar with Joe's pre-Barnstorm days. The highlights are the new arrangements on 'Meadows' and 'Turn to Stone'. 'Meadows' shares the same riff as Deep Purple's 'My Woman From Tokyo', but for this concert version, Joe ends with a powerful instrumental that is anthemic in a similar vein to 'Freebird' and 'Stairway to Heaven'. It shows Joe at his best, and should have been sited at the end of the album. 'Turn to Stone' has a pleasant synth intro, somewhat reminiscent of the Gary Wright 'Dream Weaver' album. Rocky Mountain Way was hugely disappointing, but it features an enhanced solo on the voicebox gizmo that Walsh introduced Pete Frampton to for 'Show Me the Way' on 'Frampton Comes Alive!'.

Track listing

01. Walk Away  (Joe Walsh)  - 3:21

02. Meadows  (Patrick Cullie, Walsh)  - 7:08

03. Rocky Mountain Way  (Rocke Grace, Kenny Passarelli, Joe Vitale, Walsh)  - 7:40

04. Time Out  (Terry Trebandt, Walsh)  - 4:22

05. Help Me Through the Night  (Walsh)  - 3:43

06. Turn to Stone  (Trebandt, Walsh)  - 8:46

Released:  March 1976

Genre:  Southern Rock

Length:  35:09

Label:  ABC

Producer:  Joe Walsh

Personnel

Joe Walsh - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Talkbox Guitar, vocals

Don Felder - Guitar, vocals

Willie Weeks - Bass guitar.

Jay Ferguson - Piano, vocals

Dave Mason - Organ, Electric Piano

Joe Vitale - Drums, Percussion, Organ, Flute, vocals

Andy Newmark  Drums, Percussion

Rocky Dzidzornu  Percussion

Glenn Frey - Vocals

Don Henley - Vocals

(46) Outlaws - Lady In Waiting (1976)

"Lady In Waiting" is the 2nd album by American southern rock band Outlaws, released in 1976.

It's not easy following up a creatively and commercially successful debut album, but Florida-based Southern rockers the Outlaws did just fine with their sophomore effort, 1976's "Lady in Waiting", the follow-up to their 1975 self-titled, gold-selling release. Although "Lady in Waiting" doesn't have all-time knockouts like "There Goes Another Love Song" or "Green Grass & High Tides," it does include a handful of Outlaws classics, including the minor hit "Breaker-Breaker" and "Stick Around for Rock & Roll." Vocalists/guitarists Hughie Thomasson, Henry Paul, and Billy Jones; bass guitarist Frank O'Keefe and drummer Monte Yoho collaborated once more with producer Paul A. Rothchild to create a textured album that managed to fuse intricate guitar arrangements and frame them within Thomasson's rock & roll, Paul's pure country, and Jones' intensely personal songwriting styles. And don't forget the splendid three-part vocal harmonies either. "Breaker-Breaker" is bright, easygoing country-rock; lyrically, it piggybacked on the mid-'70s CB radio craze. The tempo changes and distinctly different guitar tones on "South Carolina" add extra dimensions to what would otherwise be straightforward, up-tempo country. Jones' "Ain't So Bad" is mid-tempo pop/rock with ironic lyrics about life and death, especially since he committed suicide two decades later in 1995 around the time of O'Keefe's death. The tough country-rock, rockabilly-flavored number "Freeborn Man" was, unbelievably, co-written by Paul Revere and the Raiders vocalist Mark Lindsey and guitarist Keith Allison; the guitar solos provide the punch, but O'Keefe's walking bassline adds a nice, loping rhythm. Paul's country-inflected "Girl From Ohio" is rife with gorgeous harmonies. "Prisoner" is a sensitive Jones song with occasional jazz-pop tendencies. The hard-rocking "Stick Around for Rock & Roll" is a rowdy guitar jam.

Track listing

01.  Breaker-Breaker  (Thomasson)  - 2:59

02.  South Carolina  (Paul)  - 3:05

03.  Ain't So Bad  (Jones)  - 3:48

04.  Freeborn Man  (Allison, Lindsay)  - 4:51

05.  Girl from Ohio  (Paul)  - 5:02

06.  Lover Boy  (Thomasson)  - 3:58

07.  Just for You  (Thomasson)  - 3:17

08.  Prisoner  (Jones)  - 3:58

09.  Stick Around for Rock and Roll  (Thomasson)  - 6:35

Released:  1976

Recorded at:  Criteria Recording Studios,Miami, Florida

Genre:  Southern Rock, Country Rock

Length:  40:51

Label:  Arista

Producer:  Paul Rothchild

Personnel

Billy Jones - guitar, vocals

Joe Lala - percussion

Frank O'Keefe - bass

Henry Paul - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals

Hughie Thomasson - guitar, vocals

Monte Yoho - drums

(28) Nazareth - Close Enough For Rock 'N' Roll (1976)

"Close Enough For Rock 'N' Roll" was the seventh studio album by the Scottish rock band Nazareth, released in 1976. The album title refers to a saying among guitar players: it doesn't matter if your guitar is fully in tune, as long as its "close enough for rock n' roll".
"Telegram" seriously sounds like a major influence to the upcoming 80's glam metal scene. The one thing that immediately separates it from your typical metal tune is the build-up in great lyrics and bass guitar. "F.M station soundin' good, and gettin' better every mile". That's a great line. Too bad radio stinks these days, har har.
"Homesick Again" is most noticeable for that fantastic verse melody. "Vancouver Shakedown" has a really good bluesy feel to it, and what enhances the experience are, again, the catchy and exciting vocal melody. "Carry Out Feelings" is a nice pop song with a chorus.
Anyway, with the mid 70's approaching, the sound of Nazareth has begun to change, but only slightly. The great songwriting has remained, the distinctive voice of the lead singer is still firmly intact.

Tracklist

1.  Telegram:  (Agnew, Charlton, McCafferty, Sweet, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman  - 7:54
     Part 1 - On Your Way
     Part 2 - So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star
     Part 3 - Sound Check
     Part 4 - Here We Are Again
2.  Vicki  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 2:24
3.  Homesick Again  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 4:30
4.  Vancouver Shakedown  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 4:04
5.  Born Under the Wrong Sign  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 3:56
6.  Loretta  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 3:18
7.  Carry out Feelings  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 3:18
8.  Lift the Lid  (M.Charlton, D.McCafferty, P.Agnew, D.Sweet)  - 3:51
9.  You're the Violin  (Jeff Barry)  - 4:43

Released:  March 1976
Recorded at:  Le Studio, Montreal, Canada
Genre:  Hard Rock
Length:  38:12
Label:  Vertigo
Producer:  Manny Charlton
Engineer:  Nick Blagona, John Punter

Personnel
Dan McCafferty - vocals
Pete Agnew - bass guitar, guitar, piano, vocals
Manny Charlton - guitar, producer
Darrell Sweet - percussion, drums