Observations From The Forefront-Unfinished Biz

TAD, my friend from the great northwest popped in to give a few observations of some of the top ten songs of the week. He doesn't pop in too often but when he does he gives great discussions. If only I can get a few more musically inclined lovers out there that can do that. Don't worry about the novel replies, they're always a fun read.

The King Crimson Islands album is hard to figure and remains the black sheep of the Fripp family of albums known as King Crimson. Boz Burrell may have been the most ill suited vocalist. Ladies Of The Road remains the only track I play off that album, the rest just float on by.......

Now for The Present......Mark Prindle, the critic turned karaoke singer loved this album enough to give it an 8 and like most Moody Blues fans consider that the last true great album before Polygram redesigned them The Justin Hayward/John Lodge band with hired hands (for more fun facts seek out the Mark Prindle website and click on Moody Blues and read on). As a band concept The Present was perhaps the final group effort, with G. Edge adding one song of his and Ray Thomas finishing it up with interlude and song of his own. For myself who grew up on the Tony Clarke produced stuff, it took me a good 10 years to warm up to Long Distance Voyager and The Present will probably take that twice that long but I do think it has staying power unlike anything after beginning with The Other Side Of Life, an album that I have seen in the dollar bins but passed on. If you do find The Present in the used bins it worth a listen but anything after that you can live without. Decemeber, the Christmas album that they did isn't bad and I thought about Strange Times but Prindle lowered the grade to a B and called it somewhat boring.

I'm surprised that It's A Beautiful Day didn't go after royalites when Deep Purple did the introduction to that song for Child In Time but back then bands didn't go sue each other for lifting melodies off songs like they do in these desperate times. Like Moby Grape IABD was doomed by Matthew Katz and his sue-happy tendicies and Columbia/CBS deleted their stuff rather than dealing with the senile old coot. Basically I'm surprised Katz didn't sue DP for that either but then again DP had better lawyers to tell him to flake off. White Bird still gets played on Beaker Street from time to time (as well as Child In Time and Bombay Calling). And both IABD albums get issued from time to time via Katz's San Francisco Sound label but people complain that the recording is subpar at best. One can only hope that Matthew Katz will die off and the world will finally see the IABD and Moby Grape albums remain in print.