Bob Dylan - At Budokan (1979)

“Bob Dylan at Budokan” is the third live album in a mere five years, by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on April 23, 1979 by Columbia Records. It was recorded during his 1978 world tour and is composed mostly of the artist's "greatest hits". The performances in the album are radically altered from the originals, using the same musicians that backed “Street-Legal”, but relying on a much larger band and stronger use of brass and backup singers. In some respects the arrangements are more conventional than the original arrangements and the album was criticized for being so. At the same time that it was criticized for being too polished, it was criticized for being too sloppy.
The audio recording is from two different shows on February 28 and March 1, 1978. Columbia Records released this double LP on August 21, 1978; the original issue was limited to the Japanese market. Later that year, it was released in Australia. On April 23, 1979, spurred by extensive importing and at least one counterfeit European edition, Columbia released the album to worldwide markets. The shows were the fourth and fifth in an eight-show appearance at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Tracklist

Side One
1. "Mr. Tambourine Man"  - 4:54
2. "Shelter from the Storm"  - 4:30
3. "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"  - 3:52
4. "Ballad of a Thin Man"  - 4:47
5. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"  - 4:55

Side Two
1. "Maggie's Farm"  - 5:06
2. "One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)"  - 3:19
3. "Like a Rolling Stone"  - 6:31
4. "I Shall Be Released"  - 4:12
5. "Is Your Love in Vain?"  - 4:02
6. "Going, Going, Gone"   4:22

Side three
1. "Blowin' in the Wind"  - 4:25
2. "Just Like a Woman"  - 5:03
3. "Oh, Sister" (Bob Dylan, Jacques Levy) - 4:44
4. "Simple Twist of Fate"  - 4:15
5. "All Along the Watchtower"  - 3:20
6. "I Want You"  - 2:34

Side four
1. "All I Really Want to Do"  - 3:37
2. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"  - 4:00
3. "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"  - 6:04
4. "Forever Young"  - 5:38
5. "The Times They Are a-Changin'"  - 5:31

All songs written by Bob Dylan, except where noted

Credits
Bob Dylan – rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals
Additional musiciansBilly Cross – lead guitar
Steve Douglas – saxophone, Flute, Recorder
Debi Dye – backing vocals
Bobbye Hall – percussion
Jo Ann Harris – backing vocals
David Mansfield – pedal steel, violin, mandolin, dobro, guitar
Alan Pasqua – keyboards
Ed Rash – tambourine
Steven Soles – acoustic rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Helena Springs – backing vocals
Rob Stoner – bass guitar, backing vocals
Ian Wallace – drums
Technical personnelTim Charles – monitor mixer
Don De Vito – production
Val Lane – sound technician

Notes
Released: April 23, 1979
Recorded: February 28 and March 1, 1978
Genre: Rock
Length: 99:41
Label: Columbia

John Miles - More Miles Per Hour (1979)

“More Miles Per Hour” was the fourth solo album released by John Miles in 1979. Just like
For this album, Miles reunited with producer Alan Parsons and orchestral arranger Andrew Powell with whom he also collaborated on “Rebel”.
This album contains John Miles's best ever crowning achievement, in the track 'fella in the cellar', a beautiful piano ballad, with a stupendous arrangement and lyrics that are deep and heart wrenching. The emotion that goes into the melody and the multi parts to this song is literally breath taking. I am amazed every time I listen to this track.
The other epic track 'We all fall down' is also fantastic. A beautiful melody and excellent guitar riff make this ballad wonderful. The guitar solo at the end is one of his best ever and has a gentle, ambient quality.
They range from gutsy rock and roll (“can't keep a good man down”) is a nice slice of rock, with some cowbell and nice piano, to other beautiful ballads, “It's not called angel”, which just wins out on the melody alone, and the gorgeous 'oh dear', which is a brilliant ballad almost personified. Nice build up, emotional, melodic and atmospheric.
For the cover Miles wanted a picture of him as a pilot in front of a Concorde, but British Airports in London denied permission so Miles had to fly to New York to do the shoot.

Tracklist

01. "Satisfied" - 3:59
02. "It's Not Called Angel" - 5:08
03. "Bad Blood" - 4:16
04. "Fella in the Cellar" - 6:43
05. "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" - 3:48
06. "Oh Dear!" - 4:10
07. "C'est La Vie" - 4:27
08. "We All Fall Down" - 6:57

All Tracks written by Bob Marshall and John Miles

Credits
John Miles: Lead vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
Bob Marshall: Bass
Barry Black: Drums
Brian Chatton: Keyboards
Andrew Powell: Orchestral arrangements
Producer - Alan Parsons

Notes
Recorded: November 1978 – January 1979
Genre: Rock
Length: 50:03
Label: Decca Records

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

Van Halen - Van Halen II (1979)

"Van Halen II" is the second album by American hard rock band Van Halen, released in 1979.

It's called "Van Halen II" not just because it's the band's second album but because it's virtually a carbon copy of their 1978 debut, right down to how the band showcases their prowess via covers and how Eddie Van Halen gets a brief, shining moment to showcase his guitar genius. This time, he does his thing on acoustic guitars on the remarkable "Spanish Fly," but that temporary shift from electrics to acoustics is the only true notable difference in attack here; in every other way, "Van Halen II" feels like its predecessor, even if there are subtle differences. First, there's only one cover this time around Betty Everett's "You're No Good," surely learned from Linda Ronstadt and this feels both heavier and lighter than the debut. Heavier in that this sounds big and powerful, driven by mastodon riffs that aim straight of the gut. Lighter in that there's a nimbleness to the attack, in that there are pop hooks to the best songs, in that the group sounds emboldened by their success so they're swaggering with a confidence that's alluring. If the classic ratio is slightly lighter than on the debut, there are no bad songs and the best moments here two bona fide party anthems in "Dance the Night Away" and "Beautiful Girls," songs that embody everything the band was about are lighter, funnier than anything on the debut, showcases for both Diamond Dave's knowing shuck and jive and Eddie's phenomenal gift, so natural it seems to just flow out of him.

Tracklist

01.  You're No Good  (Ballard, Fuller)  - 3:17

02.  Dance the Night Away  (Van Halen  - 3:09

03.  Somebody Get Me a Doctor  (Van Halen)  - 2:54

04.  Bottoms Up!  (Van Halen)  - 3:06

05.  Outta Love Again  (Van Halen)  - 2:53

06.  Light Up the Sky   (Van Halen)  - 3:13

07.  Spanish Fly  (Van Halen)  - 1:02

08.  D.O.A.  (Van Halen)  - 4:11

09.  Women in Love...  (Van Halen)  - 4:09

10.  Beautiful Girls  (Van Halen)  - 3:56

 

Personnel

David Lee Roth - lead vocals

Eddie Van Halen - electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals

Michael Anthony - bass guitar, backing vocals

Alex Van Halen - drums

 

Notes

Released:  March 23, 1979

Recorded at:  Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  32:00

Label:  Warner Bros.

Producer:  Ted Templeman

Cheap Trick - At Budokan (1979)

"Cheap Trick at Budokan" is a live album released by Cheap Trick in 1979 and their best-selling recording.

While their records were entertaining and full of skillful pop, it wasn't until At Budokan that Cheap Trick's vision truly gelled.

"Come On Come On" and "Lookout" really let the listener know how BIG the boys from Rockford, Ill., were in Japan. These are great songs for their mostly teenage female audience.

The best on this set are in the middle: "Big Eyes," "Need Your Love" which have been woven together to give Rick Nielsen a nice long guitar riff, and Robin Zander some reverberating vocals to woo the Japanese girls with and their remake of the Fats Domino tune, "Ain't That A Shame." "I Want You To Want Me" has a harder edge than in the studio version, thankfully played without that tinkling piano.  But, the best in the set is "Surrender," which was recorded before the studio version was released. Appropriately, it closes with "Goodnight," a reworking of "Hello There". "Cheap Trick At Budokan" was ranked number 430 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003.

Tracklist

01.   Hello There  (Nielsen)  - 2:27

02.   Come on, Come On  (Nielsen)  - 3:17

03.   Lookout  (Nielsen)  - 3:01

04.   Big Eyes  (Nielsen)  - 3:55

05.   Need Your Love  (Nielsen, Petersson)  - 8:46

06.   Ain't That a Shame  (Bartholomew, Domino)  - 5:09

07.   I Want You to Want Me  (Nielsen)  - 3:45

08.   Surrender  (Nielsen)  - 4:25

09.   Goodnight  (Nielsen)  - 3:08

10.   Clock Strikes Ten  (Nielsen)  - 4:01

Personnel

Robin Zander – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Rick Nielsen – lead guitar, backing vocals

Tom Petersson – bass, backing vocals

Bun E. Carlos – drums

 

Notes

Released:  1979

Recorded at:  Nippon Budokan, Tokyo April 28 and 30, 1978

Genre:  Hard Rock

Length:  42:27

Label:  Epic

Producer:  Cheap Trick