etan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (06/12/84)
Grace Under Pressure - Rush
If this were put out by a new unknown band, I would think this was pretty
good. For Rush, though, it was a dissapointment for me. The musicianship
is up to par, but the material sounds formulated and lacks the imagination
that provided so much enjoyment for me on previous releases.
Heavy Heart - Carla Bley
With the lineup of 'heavys' on this album, you might expect more sparkle
in the overall performance. Most of the tunes really grew on me after a
while. Carla's tunes are a little more toward mainstream jazz than usual
this time. The highlights for me are the synthesized big-band sounds and
the soloing by Kenny Kirkland (piano) and Steve Slagle (sax & flute).
Hiram Bullock made some nice guitar sounds, too.
-etanetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (08/13/84)
I know some of these albums are kind of old, so if you don't like it...
tough toenails!
Steve Morse Band -- Introduction
If you are a Dregs fan, there are no surprizes here. Good writin' -- good
pickin'. Steve just keeps on developing. This album provides a diverse
collection of material that covers rock, classical, C&W, and blues
styles. The album is tight and has some of the best guitar, bass, and
drum playing you've ever heard.
Missing Persons -- Rhyme and Reason
This album has good catchy songs with great arrangments. There are new
wave and '60's teeny bopper flavors, but the sound actually very sophisticated
and up to date. Drummer Terry Bozzio's polyrhythmic texturing is utterly
fascinating (especially in headsets). I like this better than "Spring
Session M".
Weather Report -- Domino Theory
I don't know how many times I've played this, but I never seem to grow
tired of it. The first few times, I wasn't too excited, but I gave it a
few more chances and now I'm just blown away. Listening to Domino Theory
is like listening to a good classical piece; it requires time to appreciate its
true value. There is really very little repetition; every measure brings
in something new. A lot of music for your money.
Steve Smith/Vital Information -- Orion
Not the greatest album, but worth hearing. Side 1 is the "electric rock"
side and side 2 is the "jazzy" side. I find this all-instrumental record
to be somewhat lacking in originality. Also, I've never been that
impressed with Smith as a drummer. He does, however, have the right idea.
Thomas Dolby -- The Flat Earth
The Flat Earth is an explosion of creativity. It is somewhat simplistic,
but I keep wondering where he comes up with his melodic and lyrical
ideas. Once in a while he sounds like mellower Police. Dolby uses an
advanced concept for integrating sound effects, rhythm and subtlety.
Note: If anyone has his first album, please write me and tell me how it is.
Steps Ahead -- Modern Times
An impressive jazz recording that lives up to its roster (Michael
Brecker, Mike Maineri, Peter Erskine, Eddie Gomez, and Warren Bernhardt).
The compositions are very good and the soloing decent. The addition of
Bernhardt on keyboards adds a full, electric, and slightly more commercial
sound to what they had on their first LP. They experiment with latin and
primitive flavors quite a bit, but also add some classical-jazz
feelings.
As you can see, I've been happy with my recent trips to the record store!
-etanetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (12/21/84)
*** REPLACE THIS MESSAGE WITH YOUR LINE ***
Mini Reviews
It's been a while since I posted any reveiws, so some of this may seem dated.
Bruce Cockburn (pronounced co-burn) Stealing Fire
This is the first time I ever heard anything by Cockburn, although I
understand his discography is extensive. The style is sort of rock-folk-pop
with heavy emphasis on vocals and lyrics. His voice sounds to me like John
Wetton's (which for me is a plus), and the songs are personable and catchy.
The production is slick and so are the backup musicians.
Marillion -- Fugazi
Marillion is also new to me. The music here is reminiscent of Genesis from
their "Tresspass" LP; classical/art-rock, but not a lot of compositional
developement. Their vocalist sounds very theatrical and makes me think of a
cross between Peter Hamill and Peter Gabriel (I think someone else said
this). The guitarist displays strong David Gilmour influences. Pretty good,
but I'll take Genesis or Yes over these guys.
Pat Metheny Group -- First Circle
I find this album about as enjoyable as the other "Group" albums. They are,
however, following a different direction as defined by the "Travels" LP.
There are lots of pretty melodies and chord structures and vivid colors
throughout, not to mention a decent solo by Pat on his guit-synth (I think
he's starting to get the hang of that thing). I can't get into the first
piece, though. It sounds like a high-school band that forgot to tune up
before playing an Anthony Braxton march.
Jethro Tull -- Under Wraps
This is Jethro Tull meets the '80's complete with high-tech synthesizers, 4/4
time signature throughout, and a computer playing drums (I doubt that Ian
actually was beating the skins). "Under Wraps" may be dissapointing to Tull
fans at the outset, but if you really look under the wraps, there is some
nice stuff with interesting instrumental interludes here and there.
Unfortunately the musical quality is inconsistent and the recording quality
is poor.
Mahavishnu
If your looking for a comeback, forget it. If your looking for good fusion,
here it is. I think this album is really much more sophisticated that the
likes of "Birds of Fire", but the raw and spontaneous energy of early
Mahavishnu is only a shadow of its former self here. The compositions are
beautiful and the playing and soloing is dazzling. This is sort of an
electric extension of "Music Spoken Here", the last McLaughlin LP. Nate says
check it out.
Danny Elfman -- So Lo
The lead singer from Oingo Boingo comes out with a solo LP in the techno-wave
genre that exhibits a fairly good level of uniqueness. Elfman constructs
some interesting counter melodies and toys with synthesized tuned percussion.
His lyrics are optimistic most of the time without becoming corn, and he
displays a good command of his vocal cords. The album is well crafted and
sounds to me like good party music.
Jean-Luc Ponty -- Open Mind
Ponty seems to have developed a fondness for hypnotic repetition. Most of
the pieces seem to consist of machine-generated rhythm tracks with humans
taking solos here and there, with guest appearances by Chick Corea and George
Benson. Random moments taken from the album would always sound good, but
sitting through the whole thing becomes tedious. My wife says: "If there's
anyone who can make a repeating two-chord change sound good, it's Ponty."
I don't know if that's a compliment or not.
The Cars -- Heartbeat City
I'm not really a Cars fan, so I don't like "Heartbeat City" too much. Too
much bubble gum and rock themes that are recycled a hundred times over. I
don't think I really qualify to review this LP, but I just wanted to say that
if you are into good production and recording techniques, this album is very
impressive. Nice effects and convincing sonic spaciousness in the mix.
McCoy Tyner -- Dimensions
This album shows that Tyner is truly a growing musician and a master
performer. Most of this LP is not Tyners own charts, as were previous
releases, and consequently there are more different flavors here. Especially
enjoyable is an unaccompanied piano rendition of Ellington's "Prelude To a
Kiss." John Blake on violin adds some interesting textures, but his phrasing
sounds just a little bit awkward to me. Overall I like this album quite a lot.
Andy Summers and Robert Fripp -- Bewitched
Most of this instrumental album sounds superficial, but there are a few
exciting moments. I don't like this as much as either King Crimson or Police
(the groups that these two play guitar for).
All for now... Happy Holidays!
-etanetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (04/22/85)
Mini Reviews
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Samurai Samba -- Yellowjackets
The music on this latest offering by the Yellowjackets is at what I consider
an academically high level of quality. However, they make an obvious attempt
to commercialize their brand of jazz/fusion with electronic percussives and
one vocal piece. Since their first two albums, they've added a sax player to
the trio as a regular who plays in the 'yackety sax' style (as a friend of mine
calls it). Even though I don't really care for his style, I must concede he
sounds good. The material on this album is good, but don't look for incredible
soloing.
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Hot House Flowers -- Wynton Marsalis
This recording seems to be a vehicle to display Marsalis' superior skills in
arrangement. Knowing that it features strings and standards, it still creates
a lot of moods and textures that you might not expect. The soloists'
performances are finely crafted and very dynamic. I highly recommend this one.
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Till we have faces -- Steve Hackett
Moving over into the rock arena, we have an ex-Genesis guitarist who, after
proving himself as a composer/arranger extraordinare (sp?) in the art music
world, tries to show his versatility as a rock'n'roller. On this album you
get a Doors tribute, a Zep tribute, and some flashy playing, along with a few
Hackettesque tunes thrown in for good measure. A little disappointing, but
if you're a Hackett fan, you might as well get this one for the collection;
it's really not all that bad.
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Renaissance Man -- Jamaaladeen Tacuma
Anyone hear the record "Memory Serves"? That's what this reminds me of.
Tacuma is a bass player with lots of slappin' and poppin' happening, along
with some hot soloing ability. The charts are pretty loose in terms of
structure and harmony, and sometimes it sounds like the album is falling in a
rut, with recurring themes from cut to cut. I wasn't real crazy about this one.
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The Other Whistler -- Ron McCroby
The material on this is rather tame, with two Brubeck tunes, Theme from MASH,
Andy Griffith's Theme, and other standards. On the other hand, I've never
heard anyone whistle like this guy. It's amazing! And he knows what he's
doing in terms of real jazz. Everyone should at least hear McCroby for the
sake of experiencing something unique.
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The Voice -- Bobby McFerrin
While we're on the subject of unique, here's a live recording of a guy who
just stands up on stage with a mic and freaks his audience out all by himself
(at least the whistler plays with a band). A little bit of jazz, a little bit
of classical, some funk, some folk, and a good amount of original material
are sprinkled throughout. McFerrin handles lead lines, bass lines and even
chords (broken) by time-sharing his voice. Check it out, it's pretty wild.
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Short Stories -- Fred Simon
Simon, formerly of Simon and Bard Group performs predominantly solo piano
arrangements with synthesizers here and there. All material is original and
contains thoughtful, beautiful and sometimes distant imagery. His style fits
somewhere in with George Winston and John Abercrombie.
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The Dreams of Children -- Shadowfax
I have always liked Shadowfax, but even so, I was pleasantly surprised by the
quality of music on this album. There is a sufficient amount of variety so
as to not bore the listener, even though the material is of the mellow,
meditational, classical/rock/folk genre. This isn't to say that I don't like
this style, but that sometimes I have to limit the dosage. In the case of
Dreams, however, the end of the last cut leaves me hungry for more.
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Thingfish -- Frank Zappa
Here is a monumental, quality production that, in a way, is commercially
beyond it's time. The 3-record set is a conceptual musical/drama that
requires intense and continuing attention -- the kind that todays listener
usually doesn't feel like committing his/herself to. I confess this myself
to a certain degree. I also don't feel that the music stands very well on
it's own (as Zappa's music usually does). Yo' gotta lissum to da woids, bowee!
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New Weave -- Rare Silk
If you like Manhattan Transfer, you should like Rare Silk. I do, and I do, but
I think I like Rare Silk even better. They do vocal interpretations of jazz
tunes with the same stylings of harmonies, but New Weave seems to be a more
serious (less commercial) effort. Various instrumentalists jump in and provide
some exciting solos, which was always somewhat lacking for me in MT's stuff.
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-etancuccia@ucbvax.ARPA (Nick "Coosh" Cuccia) (05/02/85)
The new Rare Silk album, _American Eyes_, is finally out, after
some two-plus years since _New Weave_. New label (Palo Alto Jazz
instead of Polydor), slightly more polished, in areas more pop-ish
sound. _Watch What Happens_ and _Storm_ are real standouts, as is
_Oops!_. Overall, however, not quite as good (God, I love subjective
terms...) as _New Weave_... Still worth the bucks, if you like
the Manhattan Transfer/Singers Unlimited type of sound.
--Nick "Coosh" Cuccia
--{...}!ucbvax!cuccia
--cuccia%ucbmiro@Berkeleyetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (05/31/85)
Mini Reviews
Special emphasis on synthesists
Digital Moonscapes -- Wendy Carlos
Most people remember Wendy from Switched on Bach, when she was Walter (before
the, uh, operation) in '69. Carlos has been a very accomplished composer for
quite some time, but unfortunately, not very recognized. Moonscapes is a
multi-movement impressionist-style piece in which Wendy has truly created the
effect of a futuristic symphony orchestra (as opposed to just a "fat" sound).
Her sound is as expressive as Tomita's, and the music approaches the level of
quality of the likes of Ravel and Mussorgsky.
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Oasis -- Kitaro
What with all this talk on the net about Kitaro, I figured I had better check
one of his pressings out. I ended up with this one, but I don't know when it
was recorded; it was one of many on the shelf. The recording quality is
crisp and clean, but I found the music cliche' and the sounds (patches)
trite. Not bad for background music, though.
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Ciani -- Seven Waves
Susan Ciani, who was featured in Keyboard Magazine a couple months ago,
writes and performs some really nice stuff on this album. I get the feeling
that she cares about the structure of her compositions, and is well aware of
the concept of developement. I hate to put it this way, but Seven Waves was
a welcome sound after Oasis. A note for you drum box folks -- Ciani used a
Roland TR-808 occasionally, and it sounded very cheesy to me (I own a
Yamaha RX-15).
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Vapor Drawings -- Mark Isham
I know this is an oldie (1982), but I just got it, and I gotta plug this guy.
Isham, formerly the trumpeter of Art Lande's Rubisa Patrol, is now heavily into
synthesizer, and has a real feel for composing on it. The music provides
"nature visions" for me, as does much Windham Hill and ECM stuff, despite its
very electronic nature. Isham is really getting into the soundtrack business,
(Never Cry Wolf, and others) so watch those film credits when you hear some
good syn music at the flicks.
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Sportin' Life -- Weather Report
Well, actually this doesn't fit in with the all-synths, but I wanted to talk
about it anyway. Yet, I'm not sure what to say. It sounds as good as any WR
album, but somehow, it just doesn't quite grab me like Domino Theory did. We
must all realize, however, that you have to listen to a WR album a lot before
it sinks in, and I've only gotten about 10 or so plays in. Wayne Shorter
(sax) seems to be in top form. I'm going to keep on listening; I think it's
well worth my while.
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Black Cars -- Gino Vannelli
Gino is back, and has updated himself with this collection of very danceable
tunes. The music reminds me more of Peter Gabriel than Vannelli, except for
its jazzier chordal feelings. Joe Vannelli handles all the keyboards and
puts forth some really exciting synthesizer arrangements. Quite catchy.
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Coming soon...
Vangelis has a new one out. When I get it, I'll review it.
-etanetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (06/04/85)
Mini Reviews
Special emphasis on guitarists
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Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force
It's not really heavy metal, but some of the vocal pieces made me think of
old Uriah Heep. Yngwie writes, arranges, and produces this album, along with
playing some truly dazzling electric leads. This 22-year-old sounds like
Al DiMeola on speed playing heavy-handed classical-rock. I've never heard
anyone arpeggiate augmented chords so far and so fast. Definitely refreshing. This album is predominantly instrumental, but Rising Force has a new one due
for release soon, which will contain all vocal material.
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Magic Touch -- Stanley Jordan
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Jordan not only has taken
two-handed technique probably farther than anyone else, but he has the
knowledge and emotion to go with his technique. From Hendrix to Monk to his
original compositions, Jordan handles leads, chords, dueling voices, and some
bass parts simultaneously without overdubbing. All he needs is a little
polishing.
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Cielo e Terra -- Al DiMeola
Just two guys on this album, Al and Airto. The album shows a change in
direction for DiMeola by concentrating on soft, spacious imagery. No hot
metal leads; I guess he's leaving the flash up to Yngwie. There are some
imaginative uses of synclavier-guitar that really fill out the sound.
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Metal Fatigue -- Allan Holdsworth
All right all you Holdsworth fans -- come and get it! This fourth solo
offering by Holdsworth features excellent charts (by Allan) with rich
harmonic depth and structure that provide ripe vehicles for his unrivaled
soloing abilities. It also features a new bass player, Jimmy Johnson (more
on him later). Trivia question: A vocalist named Paul Korda sings on one
cut, and he sounds like the guy from Marillion. Is he?
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Everybody's Painting Pictures -- Wayne Johnson Trio
If you like the Pat Metheny Group, but think that they get a bit drawn out
sometimes, then you'll like Wayne Johnson. This is his third album, and,
like the other two, it provides an exciting array of dynamic variations,
feels, and time changes. His guitar sound and playing is strikingly similar
to Metheny's, but he branches off in some different directions. Johnson has
developed a sort of cult following among my peers. Oh, by the way, his bass
player is Jimmy Johnson (who I think is his brother), and watch out! Given
proper promotion and exposure, he could become the next bass hero a'la
Pastorious, Berlin or Clarke.
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-etanetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (09/26/85)
Mini Reviews #8
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Birdy Soundtrack -- Peter Gabriel
There is a warning on the jacket stating that there is recycled music and no
lyrics. Take heed if this is a concern. I have all the previous PG albums,
but I didn't recognize many of the old rhythm tracks used. The album has
the aura of a collection of Eno-like sound sketches with very nice textures
throughout. Definite melodic direction is often lacking, however, and this
would have caused tedium had Gabriel not had the good sense to end a piece
when "enough is enough".
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The Great Balloon Race -- Sky
Sky's music is a brand of fusion that has a stronger emphasis on
romantic-period classical music and schmaltzy European folkiness. This
emphasis is underplayed on their new album, perhaps as a result of the departure
of guitar virtuoso John Williams. The Sky level of quality is still there,
but the rockier direction loses some of the uniqueness Sky usually displays.
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Suzanne Vega
Everybody who listens over my shoulder makes the same observation: it
sounds like poetry that had music written for it later on. The folk-rock
music is mildly interesting at best, and at other times, it becomes an effort
for me to keep my mind from wandering. Electric guitar, bass, and drums
provide a backdrop, but never step forward. Suzanne sings all the tunes and
plays acoustic guitar, but her performances lack excitement and energy.
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The Dream of the Blue Turtle -- Sting
I found this album inconsistent in quality. Occasionally, the fantastic
musician lineup on this recording gets a chance to shine, but much of the time
it sounds like it wouldn't matter who was playing. Some of the charts are
really nice, and others sound like awkwardly constructed filler material.
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Mask -- Vangelis
No, this is not a soundtrack; at least not as far as I know. Vangelis has
composed a orchestral/choral piece integrating synth-sequencer patterns that
reminds one of a modern-day Alexander Nevsky (Prokofiev). Sometimes it
works, but other times it sounds amateurish. A gallant effort, this, and I
think one of Vangelis' better ones.
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-etanetan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (09/27/85)
Mini Reviews #9
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Dream Into Action -- Howard Jones
I think Howard Jones is one slick musician/producer. He plays and sings
almost everything on the album and gets a full-sized '80's group sound.
Even though the style of music is a bit bland for my tastes, the sounds
recorded are well-balanced and crystal clear. There are enough hooks
embedded in the material to get you to play it a few times, but like much
pop music today, the thrill only lasts so long.
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Night -- John Abercrombie
This 1984 release is very reminiscent of John's "Timeless" LP. With
heavyweights Jan Hammer, Michael Brecker, and Jack DeJohnette, a wide
range of modern styles is explored, from free bag to reggae. If you've seen
Abercrombie recently (with Marc Johnson and Peter Erskine), don't expect this
album to be similar; it eschews traditional jazz forms without going over the
deep end.
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Champion -- Jeff Berlin and Vox Humana
The former bass player of IOU and Bruford has released his own album of very
fine tunes played by top-notch fusion musicians. He does enough solos to let
you know that he's a giant on the instrument, but whets the apetite for more
instead of beating it to the ground. There is a lot of interesting writing
and playing, and the material is predominantly vocal-oriented.
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Misplaced Childhood -- Marillion
Since Genesis doesn't put out Foxtrot-type albums anymore, Marillion has
apparently rushed in to fill the marketing void left. Listening to this, I
could almost say "this'll do for the time being", but, naah. They keep on
finding nice-sounding-but-you've-heard-it-before-type 4-chord progressions
then repeating them ad-nauseum underneath boring, obligatory vocal melodies.
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Flash -- Jeff Beck
This is a piecemeal collection of updated rock cuts that is fun to listen to.
While lacking some of the seriousness of previous Beck LP's, his playing is
sounding better than ever to me. Maybe he works his fingers out by removing
oil-drain plugs without a wrench.
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Crossing -- Oregon
I thought it was just a collection of leftovers (maybe it is) following the
tragic death of Colin Walcott, but this album is full of vibrant colors and
true compositional excursions. The format is more similar to "Woods" and
"Winter Light" LP's with shorter, more developed pieces, as opposed to their
more improvisational works. Yet, something emotional is missing this time.
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-etan
...and stop groveling!
-God