Marshmallow Way - s/t

Name: Marshmallow Way
Album: s/t
Year: 1969
Style: Bubblegum Pop
Similar Bands: Lemon Pipers, 1910 Fruitgum Co, Jellyfish, Bubble Puppy, Beach Boys, Monkees
"One-Word" Review: Sickning-Sweet-Candied-Pop
Based Out Of: New Jersey
Label: United Artists

Marshmallow Way - Cover & Record

Marshmallow Way - Back & Record

Marshmallow Way (1969)

1. C'Mon Kitty, Kitty (Let's Go To The City) 2:35
2. Keep My Fingers Crossed 2:27
3. (Like the Love Of) Romeo & Juliet 2:45
4. Michigan Mints 2:40
5. Give & Take 2:33
6. Sugar & Spices 2:03 /
7. Sweet Thing 2:14
8. Wild One (Show Me The Way to Your heart) 3:04
9. She's A Dandy 2:27
10. Good Day 2:54
11. I Wish I Was 2:56
12. Music, Music 2:37

Album Rating (1-10): 10.0

Members & Other Bands:

Billy Carl - Producer, Composer, Arranger (1910 Fruitgum Co)
Mike Consi - Engineer
Reid Whitelaw - Producer, Composer, Arranger (1910 Fruitgum Co)
Harry Yarmark - Engineer
Jim Calvert - Conductor
Norman Marzanno - Musical Coordinator
Paul Naumann - Musical Coordinator
Ken Laguna - Musical Coordinator
(little) Joe D'Andrea - Musical Coordinator

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of them, but I have a feeling I’m going to love this record. The psychedelic and candy mixture of the band being stuck in a gumball machine, and then floating away on a marshmallow over top a plate of candy corn and marshmallows is enough of a give-away. This will be bubblegum pop, pure and simple. Reminds me of the look that many of the psychedelic bands on the Elephant Six record label tried to mimic. And from the date of 1969, plus their outfits, the music is something that I’m looking forward to and that I specifically hunt for in dollar bins. Exciting!

Album Review: “C'Mon Kitty, Kitty (Let’s Go To The City)” is immediately toe tapping and insanely catchy. Ok, so I’m going to try to not use the term insanely catchy again, but that is an apt description. It continues to drive as the bass and piano bounce along with harmonized humming and bopping backing vocals. Unfortunately my version skips.
“Keep My Fingers Crossed” rolls and floats right by with a Motown back beat and melody. The falsetto chorus of backing vocals singing the title stands out, and is a great hook that brings the song together. The song unfortunately ends in a fade out, rather than some creative ending, but I’ll still take it!
“(Like the Love Of) Romeo & Juliet” is again basically Motown filter through bubble gum pop. It is a touch slower, like a loving ballad verse that builds to a roller coaster melody of the chorus, which again, is just the title. Lots of harmonized Oooo’s support the lead vocals.
“Michigan Mints” is very side-to-side bouncy, and has the most complex melodies grouped together of any other song on the album. This band yearns to have a Motown name like So-and-So and the So-and-Sos.
“Give & Take” right off sounds like the Beach Boys with the harmony. And that’s what this entire song mimics.
“Sugar & Spices” starts with a steady, driving drum beat, and a great vocal hook of Na-Na-Nas that leads up to the title. There a lot of candy and sweets name dropped in the song, and the song feels very much like a 1910 Fruitgum Co song.

“Sweet Thing” is more of Motown bubblegum, and there are so many catchy sections all layered upon each other, it’s hard to keep up with the changes. Its just really good.
“Wild One (Show Me The Way to Your Heart)” is a call and response song that has a consistent drum and bass beat. Most of these songs do fade out, which seems like a bit of a cop-out, but they are still very good songs.
“She's A Dandy” brings back the center stage Motown singer with a backing guy group of Ooo’s and echoing the lead’s singing of “Dandy.”
“Good Day” reminds me of a chilled, hippy Davy Jones song. Or perhaps it sounds like Junior Senior’s “Shake Me, Baby” with all the hard edges sanded down.
“I Wish I Was” has an older feel to it when the chorus flattens out and the backing harmonized vocals accompany the lead. It makes the song feel like a Bachelors song, or any other of the 50’s vocal groups.
“Music, Music” is making me run out of ways to describe these songs, because they are all so good, yet so similar, there are only so many times I can call it Bubble Gum Motown. But this song is just as catchy. The bass beat is continuously bouncing, and reminds me of Of Montreal for some reason. This song is very literal, singing about pretty music. And it too fades out like the rest of the album, leaving the listener wanting more, or at least some kind of closure.
Any one of these songs could really be the stand out track, so I’ll just pick one.

Stand Out Track: Michigan Mints

Links:

Rate Your Music
Bubblegum Music
red telephone 66
discogs

Allmusic

Soundtrack (James William Guercio) - Electra Glide In Blue

Name: Soundtrack (James William Guercio)
Album: Electra Glide In Blue
Year: 1973
Style: Soundtrack, Film Dialogue, 70's Jazz-Funk, Doo-Wop, Country
Similar Bands: Chicago, Donald Byrd, Marcels
"One Word" Review: Waaka-Wah-Funk-Conglomorate
Based Out Of: Chicago / L.A.
Label: United Artists

Electra Glide In Blue - Cover & Back

Electra Glide In Blue - Gatefold Picture

Electra Glide In Blue - Sleeve & Record

Electra Glide In Blue - Sleeve Liner Notes & Record

Electra Glide In Blue (1973) [lengths minus dialogue bits]

1. Morning 1:05
2. Prelude 4:45
3. Meadow Mountain Top 2:45
4. Overture 2:09
5. Most Of All 2:08
6. Jolene's Dance 3:11/
7. Concert / Free From The Devil 1:47
8. The Chase 3:21
9. Song Of Sad Bottles 4:05
10. Monument Valley 1:27
11. Tell Me 7:43

Album Rating (1-10): 5.0

Members & Other Bands:
James William Guercio -Produced and Directed (Chicago, Buckinghams, Blood, Sweat & Tears)

Ben Benay - Guitars (Chicago, Markettes, Merrell Fankhauser & the Mavi Band )

Larry Carlton - Guitars (Chicago, Fourplay, Wrecking Crew)
Louie Shelton - Guitars (Chicago)

Michael Lang - Pianos

Michael O'Martian - Pianos (Peter Cetera, Crackin')

Terry Kath - Electric Bass (Chicago)
Ross Salomone - Drums (Robert Lamm)
Dale Anderson - Percussion

Sanora Crouch - Percussion
Victor Feldman - Percussion (Fuse One)
Guille Garcia - Percussion (Chicago, REO Speedwagon, Joe Walsh, )

Paul Beaver - Moog & Organ (Beaver & Krause)
Gene Cipriano - Woodwinds

Walter Parazaider - Woodwinds (Chicago)
Johnny Rotella - Woodwinds

Vincent De Rosa - French Horns

David Duke - French Horns
William Hinshaw - French Horns
Richard Perissi - French Horns
Gale Robinson - French Horns (Two Brothers on the Fourth Floor)
Henry Sigismonti - French Horns

Shirlie Matthews - Chorus

Patricia Hall - Chorus
Andra Willis - Chorus
Jackie Allen - Chorus

Bud Brisbois - Trumpets

Conti Candoli - Trumpets (Candoli Brothers)
Chuck Findley - Trumpets (The Imperials)
Lee Loughnane - Trumpets (Chicago)
Oliver Mitchell - Trumpets
Tony Terran - Trumpets

Harold Diner - Trombones

Robert Knight - Trombones
Lew McReary - Trombones
James Pankow - Trombones (Chicago)

Sidney Sharp - Violins

Arnold Belnick - Violins
Assa Drori - Violins
Henry Ferber - Violins
Ronald Folson - Violins
James Getroff - Violins
Bernard Kundell - Violins
William Kurash - Violins
Tibor Zelig - Violins
Wilbert Nuttycombe - Violins
Ralph Schaeffer - Violins

Sam Baghossian - Violas

Allan Harshman - Violas
Harry Hyams - Violas
David Schwartz -Violas

Jesse Erlich - Cellos

Armand Kaproff - Cellos
Raymond Kelley - Cellos

James Bond - String Basses

Abe Luboff - String Basses
Lyle Ritz - String Basses

David Ward - Music copyists

M. Lee Allman - Music copyists
Jeffery Jones - Music copyists

Charles Stern - Orchestra Contractor
Alan Freed - Soundtrack Band: Marcels

Harvey Fuqua - Soundtrack Band: Marcels (Moonglows, Marquees)

Mark Spoelstra - Author, Writer
Alan De Carlo - Film band: Madura: guitar (Robert Lamm)

David "Hawk" Wolinski - Film band: Madura: Organ (Chicago)
Ross Salomone - Film band: Madura: Drums
Armin Steiner - Producer
Jimmie Haskell - Producer
Jim Nelson - Producer

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this, but I bought it because I liked the cover design. Later, upon inspection, did I find out that it is a soundtrack to a film I’ve not heard of either. So from there, I really have no idea if it will be rock, orchestral, or something else completely. The one thing I do know is that the liner notes list a slew of names as part of an orchestra, so if I had to guess, I’m leaning toward background music for the film.

Album Review: So the filmmaker is better known for producing some of Chicago’s finest early albums, and most of the members of Chicago appear either in the film as minor roles or on the soundtrack at some capacity; be it in the orchestra or in composition of the music.

“Morning” is an instrumental that summons the feeling of just that: new day, full of possibility and a bright future, as many good-guy-turned-bad plots instill at the outset.“Prelude” starts with dialogue from the film, and an Electra Glide taking off down the road. The instrumental “Prelude” that follows feels rooted in funk that many 70’s films exploited: strong jazzy horns, and a liquid wah-wah guitar effect, recalling Disco-funk. This is smoother and more relaxed than use of hectic / action scene disco funk in most 70’s films. Reminds me the little I know of Donald Byrd.
“Meadow Mountain Top” starts with dialogue from the move of a cop pulling over another cop, and the ensuing argument. The song itself begins with country violins and a soothing country vocal. The beat is that of a waltz. The campfire style song are lazy, calming and non-confrontational.
“Overture” is also separated from the last song with argument dialogue from the police headquarters in the film. A slow piano paralleled with strings starts the actual song, with a native American tribal rhythm. The liquid wah-wah guitar is brought back, adding the 70’s Funk element to the song, changing it into something much more orchestral and bombastic, leading to a grand finale of the final note held.
“Most Of All” is separated by more dialogue of the cops discussing the case, claiming it was murder. An acoustic guitar starts the song, followed by a deep baritone vocal, which kicks off this pure doo-wop slow dance number. I can only assume this number backed some romantic situation in the film. This is the direct version done by the Marcels.
“Jolene's Dance” has a long bit of dialogue at its beginning. Then more funky 70’s wah-wah guitar mixed with a soothing horn section create a relaxed, almost slow-motion sensation of a film situation that could either be a “roof top” chase, or a “building friends” montage. Dialogue ends the track, too.

Right before “Concert/Free From the Devil” is more dialogue. And a drum solo starts the song, with a bouncy bass to back it right up. Waaka-Wah guitar instrumentals are added, making an intense live jam session. At the very end vocals are added just as the song fades out, and a fake audience clapping covers the fade.
“The Chase” begins with dialogue about the cops coming, so that sets up the whole “Chase” instrumental. There is a little more driving pace behind this, mainly with the drums and bass, but the liquid Wah-Wah guitar and funky organ, drop anchor and forever link the music to a smoky, haze filled era of film.
“Song Of Sad Bottles” has dialogue to begin! Then, as expected from the namesake, the song struggles along, soaked in sad, drunken country music style.
“Monument Valley” is an instrumental that kicks in after a gun shot/murder dialogue scene. And with humming strings and a deep bass drum, feels like the preparation for war, or the sun setting on the character who, at the beginning, had an anything’s possible disposition.
“Tell Me” ends the album after a final bit of dialogue, and was apparently also used in the final episode of Miami Vice. This is the one example of 70’s AOR song that could be considered something from Chicago’s catalogue, and was apparently written by the director, and sung by Chicago’s Terry Kath. It is a slow, dawning song that builds in strength and sound. The song becomes passionate and intense as it continues. Elements from the scoring of the film are still identifiable here, including the guitar and horns, but this is an anthemic take on the entire production, even throwing a “god bless America, children, everybody and world” in the female backing chorus, which verges on Gospel.

Stand Out Track: Most Of All

Links:Allmusic

IMDB
Wiki
Tim Wood's Article

Discogs

J.W. Guercio wiki

Roderick Falconder - Victory In Rock City

Name: Roderick (Taylor) Falconer
Album: Victory In Rock City
Year: 1977
Style: Glam Rock, Pub Rock
Similar Bands: David Bowie, Billy Joel, Wings, J Geils Band, (late) Beatles, John Lennon
"One-Word" Review: A Pint of Glam Light Beer
Based Out Of: Los Angeles, Ca
Label: United Artists Records

Victory In Rock City - Cover & Sleeve Picture
Victory In Rock City - Back & Lyrics

Victory In Rock City - Record

Victory In Rock City (1977)

1. Rock City 3:14
2. That's Not Normal 4:44
3. Show Me Something More 4:47
4. Empire Man 4:24 /
5. Hard Times 4:22
6. Rock City 2 3:57
7. Fame is a Ball & Chain 4:43
8. Prologue 2:05
9. Victory 4:55

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands:

Roderick (Taylor) Falconer - Guitar, Synth, Vox, Production

Bruce Gary - Drums (The Knack, The Game)

Jimmie Greenspoon - Keys (Three Dog Night, New Dimensions, East Side Kids)

Wendy Haas - Vox

Brie Howard - Vox (Santana)

Peter Ivers - Producer

Mike Japp -Guitars (Marmalade)

Reggie McBride - Bass (Rare Earth)

Patti Quatro - Vox (Pleasure Seekers, Fanny)

Dee Robb - Engineer

Joe Robb - Engineer
Bernie Grundmann - Mastering
Ria Lewerke - Art Direction
Mosh Brakha - Photography
Donna Arost - Uniforms
Allen Levy - Minestry of Information
Steve Binder - Representation
Barbara Gosa - Representation
Krista L.T. - Prima Falconite
Dr. Taylor Kross - Advisor
Jeff Samuels - US Album Coordinator

Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of this guy and/or his band. From the shiny silver jumpsuits and the driving gloves, not to mention “rock city” silhouetted in the background, I have to imagine this to be some kind of futuristic blade runner take on modern (at the time) music. Smooth cold lines, a slick and confident look, and some kind of medallion icon that blends Russian and American aesthetics together paints a speed racer type world.

Album Review: Apparently, Roderich Falconer has made the transition from musician to screenwriter and producer as well as writing professor at Stanford University.

“Rock City” begins with a pub rocking sound. And the vocals come on like David Bowie trying to sing in a Billy Joel style. The electric guitar is not as in your face as it could be, which is a nice mixing choice. The song is a little show tuney, due to its repetitive chorus of male and female voices.
“That's Not Normal” has a whining guitar that continues throughout the song which sets a glam backdrop for Ziggy Stardust type sung/spoken lyrics.
“Show Me Something More” is a laid back bluesy Eric Clapton like number with a little Wings mixed in there as well. It is basically a slow dance ballad.
“Empire Man” begins with a straight forward Pub Rock n’ Roll guitar lick that sounds so familiar that it is perhaps the dictionary definition of Rock N’ Roll guitar. The vocals are nothing like Bowie, but more along the lines of a gritty J Geils.

“Hard Times” mixes in a little AOR rock with the traditional Pub Rock that it has exemplified as its main style. There is a barroom piano in the background and the song promises a good time amongst hard times. There is a honky tonk piano breakdown at the near end of the song that changes the pace up and breathes life back into the song with a minute to go.
“Rock City 2” is a (mostly) instrumental reprise of the lead off track with a chorus of gospel female vocals hymning and whoooing. It is an upbeat song with lots of syntn and reverb in the guitar.
“Fame is a Ball & Chain” is a straight up Bowie style rip off. This one is like his slower story-songs from Ziggy, with a chorus of female vocals backing him up with ooohs. He has some John Lennon “Yes It Is” thrown in there too. The song has a classic side to side swaying doo-wop rhythm to it. Really it is a mish-mash of some of the best musical styles that pre-date 1977, which is not to say the song is one of the best songs ever made. It does not have enough creativity to make it stand out from being a descent replica.
“Prologue” replaces vocals with a wailing guitar standing in, playing the melody that the vocals would use. A co-worker walked by asking about Pink Floyd, so not knowing Floyd too much, I have to assume this is also what he sounds like.
“Victory” blends right into the end of prologue. It is a very proud and confident song that borrows a lot from late Beatles melodies, and I have to assume Floyd too, because the vocals do sound a little of what I actually know about Floyd. The breakdown possesses a small section of swirling strings, and a progressive breakdown ensues. It is very orchestral, like a scene in a movie of someone walking down a busy city street in an uplifted but excitedly anxious state.

Stand Out Track: Fame is a Ball & Chain

Links:

Wikipedia

Myspace

IMDB

Right Wing Trash

Rate Your Music

Last FM

Allmusic

Bonzo Dog Band - Keynsham

Name: Bonzo Dog Band
Album: Keynsham
Year: 1969
Style: Theatrical Pop
Similar Bands: Kinks (concepts albums), 10cc, Monty Python, Rutles, Beatles, Bee Gees, Musical Soundtracks
"One-Word" Review: Jokey-nonsensical dry humored show tunes
Based Out Of: London, England
Label: Imperial Records, Liberty, United Artists

Keynsham - Cover & Back
Keynsham - Liner Notes & Lyrics

Keynsham - Record

Keynsham (1969)

1. You Done My Brain In 1:40
2. Keynsham 2:20
3. Quiet Talks & Summer Walks 3:15
4. Tent 3:20
5. We Were Wrong 2:30
6. Joke Shop Man 1:23
7. The Bride Stripped Bare (By The Bachelors) 2:35
8. Look At Me, I'm Wonderful 1:45
9. What Do You Do? 3:15
10. Mr. Slater's Parrot 2:18
11. Sport 3:20
12. I Want To Be With You 2:15
13. Noises For the Leg 2:15
14. Busted 5:40

Album Rating (1-10): 8.5

Members & Other Bands:
Vivian Stanshall - Cover Art, Producer, Story, Narration (Mike Oldfield, The Sean Head Showband, Bonzo Dog Freaks, BiG GrunT, Rawlinson End, Grimms, Rutles, Alberts, Temperance Seven)
Neil Innes - Producer (Rutles, Monty Python, The World, GRIMMS)
Barry Sheffield - Advise & Assistance, Engineer
Mrs. Slater - Hysterics
Fred Mundt - Aggro, Trucking & Handling
Chalky Chalkey - Aggro, Trucking & Handling
Dennis Cowan - Narration
Roger Ruskin Spear - Theremin Leg
"Legs" Larry Smith - Perfumed Parlour Snake
Maison Poov - Hairstyles
R Slater - Functions of the Body Arrangement
Gerry Salisbury - Jazz Cornets & Fish n' Chips

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of this band. But I found the record amongst a pretty good pile of records donated to the thrift store I work at. Not knowing them at all besides the wacky cartoons on the cover and the silly band name, I decided to give them a try. I was hoping for something wacky like Beefheart or Zappa, but since I had never heard of them, I did not know what to expect. The songs were fairly short in length, so I wondered what they were like. The interior gate fold described the whole album as a series of events, so I was into the concept album idea.

Album Review: As I've figured out from a bit of research, these guys worked with Eric Idle, and Paul McCartney and were even in the film for Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band briefly. So it should be no surprise to find that their music was good, if at all, a bit cartoony. I should like this!

“You Done My Brain In” starts with iron works, steel slamming. Then the funky groove begins with horns and a deep bass drum. An organ fills in the background. It sounds like it would fit onto the Beatles White Album.
“Keynsham” continues the funkyness with a soulful flute and repetitive rhythm guitar, which together sound very psychedelic. They lyrics are 60’s hippie nonsensical rhyming jabber and repeat twice before the song ends.
“Quiet Talks & Summer Walks” begins like it says quietly, like a breezy walk through the Bee Gee’s catalogue with a flute, strings and slow waves of piano. The horns begin to become more prominent as well as the rest of the instruments, and it morphs into a Belle & Sebastian song. But when it returns to lyrics, it goes back to the ballad format, and that is where it ends with the piano
“Tent” starts with what sounds like a dentist drill and a patient gargling in pain for 11 seconds. But the choppy music and vocals begin, sounding like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, but more melodic and theatrical. In the first instrumental section, the guitar plays at it’s own pace, off beat to the bass and drums. It reminds me of something that would come from Rocky Horror Picture Show. The horn begins again, introducing the instrumental section that ends the song, followed with the same drum/bass beat. Throughout the song, the horn is the most important part, really drawing out the musical hook, like a good bluesy pub song.
“We Were Wrong” begins like an oldies doo-wop song, this time reminding me of “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop Of Horrors. It has a slow bass and organ heavy pace with deep vocals, and the chorus changes up slightly each utterance, but it happens enough to sound repetitive. Just as the song seems to end, the bass and drums pick up the doo-wop melody and it continues for an extra 30 seconds.
“Joke Shop Man” is a short song where the dual vocals of high nasally and deep bass sing over each other with the same lyrics basically acapella, accompanied slightly by a piano. After the vocals are done, odd “joke shop” squeak and twirl sound effects are composed together to continue the tribal drum rhythm for another minute with a fade out.
“The Bride Stripped Bare (By The Bachelors)” is introduced with some comedic dialogue. Then the guitar begins and the song sounds just like They Might Be Giants song “Wicked Little Critta,” but only in the chorus. It is theatrical with odd sounds and tempo changes everywhere and different vocals spoken and sung, perhaps fitting better into the musical Tommy. The song is pushed along with the organ and bass guiding it with the most changes and the tempo relies on them the most. The song finishes up with spoken vocals over top of the music, and a fade out.
“Look At Me, I'm Wonderful” is a with crooning deep vocals singing without music accompaniment. The singing ends, and the dialogue begins to buy the record, and a knock at the door saying to open up. After a fair bit of silence, jazzy vaudeville music brings the vocals back on for a brief fade in and fade out, and the record finishes side A.

“What Do You Do?” begins side B with rhythm guitars continuous drums and horns. The song feels like it will be one dimensional with no changes for the first minute until it reveals the chorus, which is a catchy little segment that builds up but returns to the plain hypnotic verse again. The song ends with guitar meandering, feeling senseless and drawn out.
“Mr. Slater's Parrot” is a goofy song that begins with an alarm clock going off. It possesses a jolly, purely British, gay rag time tempo, with the “parrot” squawking “hello” and other noises all over the place. This does go on for a while.
“Sport” starts with a psychedelic spoken instruction to go back to childhood. A Victorian harpsichord fades up, which is transposed with a medieval merriment of a jester’s tune. The chorus of vocals swaying and beer drinkingly declare “sport!” And a “father’ reads aloud a note that his child should not partake in physical education for doctor’s reasons. The song tempo changes like the Conchords spoof on David Bowie, and finishes out with a catchy guitar hook and a chorus of bells.
“I Want To Be With You” brings the majestic flute back to a Bee Gees folk song tempo.
“Noises For the Leg” is an instrumental that begins with shouting and wolf howls. Then more medieval music in the form of woodwinds come on, as well does a Theremin. The music kind of takes a turn toward sea shanty before it goes back to the medieval + Theremin concoction.
“Busted” begins with a quiet hum, and vocals come on with a children’s play yard sing-song melody. The chorus is a very theatrical and catchy bit saying how the singer got busted. Then a deep bass voice adds “by the law.” After a bit of music, a deep judgely voice sings another verse up to a revisit of the catchy chorus. The album ends with a see-saw two note bass line, a train passing a station is added, then the bass decides to become groovy and it interacts with a trumpet playing familiar samples and the guitar. But it is the trumpet that finishes out the album and fades out as it ends.

Stand Out Track: Tent

Links:

allmusic

Wikipedia

Official Site

Viv Stanshall Site

Fan Site

Trouser Press

BDB Revisited

Innes site

Doo-Dah Diaries

Music Brainz Discog

Donald Byrd - Black Byrd

Name: Donald Byrd
Album: Black Byrd
Year: 1973
Style: Afro-American Jazz, Funk
Similar Bands: Isaac Hayes
"One-Word" Review: Struttin'-Groove-Soul-Jazz
Based Out Of: Detroit, MI
Label: Blue Note, United Artists

Black Byrd - Cover
Black Byrd - Back

Black Byrd (1973)

1. Flight Time (8:30) (Sample)
2. Black Byrd (8:00) (Sample)
3. Love's So Far Away (6:00) (Sample)/
4. Mr. Thomas (5:15) (Sample)
5. Sky High (5:59) (Sample)
6. Slop Jar Blues (6:00) (Sample)
7. Where Are We Going? (4:40) (Sample)

Album Rating (1-10):

5.5

Members & Other Bands:

Donald Byrd - Trumpet

Produced and arranged by Larry Mizell for Sky High Productions, Inc.

Executive producer: George Butler

Recorded at Sound Factory, Hollywood, California

Chief engineer & remix: Dave Hassinger

Assistant engineer & remix: Chuck Davis

Assistant engineer: Steve Waldman

Electronic music consultant: Reggie Andrews

Photography: Art Hanson

Graphic art work: Eileen Anderson

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of Donald Byrd. I am not into jazz, so I did not know the name or anything about the album. I did not look at the record to see that it was on the Blue Note label, which I do know is jazz, and thus would have known what to expect. But from the cover, I thought the album would be a southern gospel record. Even with Donald pictured on the back with his trumpet, I still bought the record with the idea based on the front picture, harkening back to the olden days in the south, where gospel ran supreme.

Album Review: I cannot claim knowledge of jazz, other than some names that play the genre. I could not differentiate between Coltrane, Davis or Monk or probably even Gillespie. So please take note that this review is not from a knowledgeable jazz enthusiast.

The album starts with a jet taking off, and a mechanical beep sets the tempo for the groovy bass driven theme, which sounds like a Broadway-style composition. The drums mimic a metronome, a tinkling piano lightens the mood, and the trumpet adds to the 70's funk that I associate with Isaac Hayes. The song paints an image of waking up, added by its flute usage and slow but funky rhythm. Halfway through the song, the tempo changes slightly. A "whaka-whaka" bass is added, and we move from exploring the bedroom to walking outside, no, a strutting outside down the street. The song slowly fades out, but it seems like it could have go on forever. Byrd chose to end the song before it became too monotonous. "Black Byrd", the second song plays like a 70's detective show theme. Like a straightforward R&B groove, lyrics begin with "Walkin' along, playing a song." There is a distinct chorus where "Black Byrd" is used, and it is backed up with a climactic musical congregation. There are many subtle musical features in the background that play up the sneaky mood. The vocals and even some instruments utilize an echo that mimics slow-motion/freeze-frame action shots of 70's cop shows. Other than cop background music, it could also be seen as a stylistic pimp theme song. "Love's So Far Away" picks right up with the shuffling percussion of tambourine & cymbals. The flute is at the fore-front of the musical track at the beginning, and is then taken over by the trumpet. They complete with each other for control at times, but they also blend into each other. There is a brief moment when the music pauses, where it could potentially end (around 5 minutes) and the drums kick back in and send the music for a final minute long reprise before fading out.

"Mr. Thomas" starts side two, with more street-strutting groove, this time moved along by a synthesized guitar sound. The flute and trumpet play with each other, dancing around like two birds paralleling each other in flight. The song plays out like a jam session, only playing to display the talents of the two key instruments: trumpet and flute. Again, as if to end before monotony, the song fades out. The next song is a more relaxed groovy track, not as out-steppin as the others, but a more free-flowing tempo. "Sky-High" is perfectly named, as it feels like a tour around the clouds, gliding up and down on warm currents. Vocals touch off the track, but they only function as an instrument, rather than a voice to sing along with. Byrd plays some head-spinning trumpet, and there is not as much flute to take center stage. Instead, the flute steps back, and concentrate on the basic melody of the backing slow groove. The instruments picks up the pace toward the end of the song, but the drum n' bass tempo remains the same, in its non-rushed, cruising high-altitude flight. "Slop Jar Blues" is a staggering, funky, liquid tune. Vocals are added, singing "Sittin On A Slop Jar," almost seeming to be an afterthought. But they exemplify the blues theme with the vocal's tone. Without them, it would just be another jazzy, funk number. The final track "Where Are We Going" begins as easy listening jazz, with a slow, almost 70's disco beat. The trumpet takes center stage for most of the time, but the flute has it on occasion. Vocals come into the song and they follow the melody in lyric. They add an interesting dimension to an otherwise slow song. They present the best hook on the album in its chorus, but the song is very unrepresentative of the rest of the album.

On the whole, this is a time capsule of 70's jazz-funk. It is so dated, that you can almost feel the suede 3-piece suits and brown leather shoes. The music is just a pedestal on which Donald puts his trumpet and flute for display. It seems there are more theatrical elements to this album than straightforward jazz, so I can see how some of the purists would have been disappointed with this musical direction (like many reviews remark about). But to me, it comes off as more entertaining than most of the jazz I have heard in passing.

Stand Out Track:
Black Byrd

Links:

Byrd - Myspace

Byrd Myspace tribute

Byrd - Wikipedia

Black Byrd on Discogs

Byrd - Allmusic

Byrd - Hardbop

Byrd - soulwalking

Byrd - jazz discography

Byrd - Bluenote page

Airwaves - New Day

Artist: Airwaves
Album: New Day
Year: 1978
Style: Shiny, Harmonic Pop.
Sounds Like: Wings, Foriegner, Beach Boys
"One-Word" Review: Slickly-Produced-70's-Pop
Based Out Of: England
Label: A&M Music, United Artists

Airwaves, Front Cover & Side 1

Airwaves Back Cover & Side 2

New Day - 1978

1. Love Stop - 3.23
2. Let Me In - 3.16
3. The Cat - 2.45
4. Keep Away the Blues - 3.21
5. Hope You Won't - 3.25
6. You Are The New Day - 2.08/
7. So Hard Living Without You 3.30
8. Nobody Is - 3.16
9. Hideaway - 3.00
10. Don't let the Daylight In - 3.14
11. Go Getter - 4.00

Album Rating (1-10):
6.0

Members & Other Bands:
Dave Charles - Drums & percussion, Asst Engineer (Neutrons, Help Yourself, The Flying Aces with Martin Ace, Deke Leonard's Iceberg, Kid Creole & the Coconuts)
Ray Martinez - Lead Vox, Harmonies, Guitars, keyboards, Horns (Spring, Showaddywaddy)
John David - Lead Vocals, Harmonies, Bass, Keyboards (Love Sculpture, Dave Edmunds)
Pat Moran - Producer, Engineer (Spring, Pat Moran Quartet)
Rockfield Studios - Wales, UK
Bernie Grundman - Mastering @ A&M Recording Studios

Unknown-ness: Ive never heard of this band. Based on the cover, I felt I'd be in for a nice piece of prog treat. I mean, a post-apocalyptic landscape where two buildings are constructed to look like an airplane that crashed nose down into the earth on the left, with the nose protruding from the earth on the right. A "New Day" indeed. The year of 1978 also increased the prog-potential. But to top it off, the album was released on A&M; a label that put out some great stuff around that time period, so I was up for the challenge.

Album Review: To get a feel for the album, it is important to first note that they were a studio band. And second, that the album is really good. Half of the time, (the better half) it brings oldies rock and roll "up to date" to the production smoothness of the late 70's. Think if Chuck Berry and Beach Boys were recording their music with super-slick 70's production.

The Album begins with a "Kokomo" drum beat and "dirty bad-ass" synthesizers in "Love Stop". The song kinda sounds like Foriegner's "Urgent" backed with Bee Gee harmonized vocals. Its funky, but not what makes the album good. The next song sounds like typical 70's smooth rock, part Wings, part Beach Boys "Aren't You Glad." I swear I've heard this song, or a cover of it on the radio, but perhaps it is just so familiar, that it feels commonplace on 98.1 WOGL's 70's Sunday. The catchy hook I thought I'd heard before is the lyric "Open Up Your Heart and Let Me In." After doing some slight research, I did not find the song to be covered. The closest thing I found is "Let Me In" by "Chely Wright" (they share the same title and main lyric) which this song is decidedly not.

The next track begins with a cat 'meow' and slinks into a slowed up "Footloose bounce" synthesized bass line. "The Cat" is like the first track in mood and delivery. "Keep Away the Blues" is a catchy folky lite-rock single. Echoed verse and harmonized backgrounds give tremendous depth to this positive, motivational track. Somewhat of a ballad, "Hope You Won't" is still bouncy, but the vocals slowly rise and fall along the melody, asking his new love to stay. Next, they slow it down even more, to deliver their most famous song (by internet search standards): the completely accapella "You Are the New Day." It has the feeling of a church choir singing a Christmas carol. Here is a sample of a cover by the Kings Singer. Side 2 picks up the pace slightly with the sadly inevitable sequel to "Hope You Wont:" "So Hard Living Without You." This could easily be an Air Supply song, except the production is more in line with the Beach Boys...this song is the link between those two bands.

"Nobody Is" is their rendition of Chuck Berry's "Never Can Tell." This is a really great song, with a pleasant, quick tempo, and even a loud guitar solo, going in a completely different direction than the rest of the album. Because of this track, Let Me In is not the stand out track. The originality continues into "Hideaway." The chorus is very catchy, but creatively timed. A bit slower than "Nobody Is," but just as positively optimistic as "Keep Away The Blues." The next song, "Don't Let the Daylight In" is just like "The Cat" and "Love Stop," in musical style. Being another slowed up version of "Urgent, " it feels like background music to a poorly conceived early 80's detective TV show. Finally, like any good High-School essay, the album ends with a nice concise thesis, summarizing everything that came before it with "Go Better."

Stand Out Track:
Nobody Is

Links:
John David BBC

Airwaves Allmusic

Ray Martinez Allmusic