Cheap Reviews

Catching up on music bought the past couple weeks.


Delta Moon-Cabbagetown (Jumping Jack 2017)
Babylon Is Falling (Jumping Jack 2018)

I can tell when Tom Gray is beginning to settle down in life, by the way he has plenty of covers on Babylon Is Falling and it seems like Tom Petty's Louisiana Rain is getting covered a few times (Samantha Fish did one of her own).  Gray has only two of his, plus a third with band participation.  Four decades removed from The Brains, Delta Moon is the best of the swamp rock and blues bands from the South but Gray's history of covering Son House and Blind Willie Johnson  shows he knows more about the blues than Joe Bonnamossa.  The latter day Moon, benefits from Franher Joseph's blues bass guitar and backing vocal, their own Paul Robeson.  Of these two albums, Cabbagetown is the better of the two, it has more of Gray's songs than covers tho' Death Letter Blues  is a marvel to hear.  Rock And Roll Girl, would have been a big hit in 1980 for that other band we all know about. As per usual both albums are worth your time to hear.

B+

The Vogues-Greatest Hits (Rhino 1988)

They were never really garage rock, they owed more to The Four Coins and The Lettermen.  The bombast of the 1968 Reprise hits reveals their middle of the road persona and over the top Vegas.  I'm sure Rhino could have found some space for God Only Knows or That's The Tune. Or any of the Jimmy Webb penned B sides.   However, their claim to fame in rock was Five O'Clock World (original version without the strings) their perfect 2 minute song.  Second fave is Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, which does Leonard Cohen proud.  The Vintage Varese Sarabande best of leaves the Reprise stuff off and probably a better choice, Taragon did have the Reprise albums as 2 on 1 Cd comps (but they are out of print and overpriced).  The Rhino compromises on the Co & Ce and Reprise singles.  Probably all that a casual fan would need, unless you can get Five O Clock World on a Time Life Comp.
B

Lou Reed Live (RCA 1975)

Leftovers from Rock And Roll Animal, this CD has been reissued a couple times, most recently a bottom line priced cheap CD from Collectibles' Extended Versions series, no different than what BMG was putting out in the 90s.  This version of Vicious has been my overall favorite and Lou is going for stand up comedy on Walk On The Wide Side, (he'd would succeed in a way with Take No Prisoners) and the drum boasting on Waiting For The Man is puke inducing but Pentti Glen had a interesting cymbal lineup at that time.  Strange to say Oh Jim and Sad Song puts this record into one that you really don't need, tho I prefer Sad Song on this album to the original which went on forever.  Kinda of like this version that goes on forever too.  Perhaps Vicious should have been on Rock n Roll Animal instead?

B-

Tegan And Sarah-Heartthrob  (Vapor/Warner 2013)
Not exactly the first pop stars to be better at sex than love so sayeth Mr. Christgau.  One of those albums I found cheap at Goodwill, this is what we call now pop music of the day, tho it was recorded 7 years ago.

B

Smithereens-Attack Of The Smithereens (Capitol 1995)

If anything, these guys loved rock and roll and loved anything from the 60s. judging by half the songs taken from this 79 and half minute CD.  Beatles, certainly the Kinks and The Who, tho Pat Dizino's memory lapse makes this less classic as it should be.  But they got the Davies to sing together on You Really Got Me, the voice of the Beau Brummels on Just A Little and even Graham Parker to cover Behind The Wall Of Sleep.  While Pat has passed on, the guys do bring Marshall Crenshaw on board to sing on occasion.  While B sides and rarities tend to be a footnote or for fans only, Attack shows The Smithereens to be a cool bar band.  At least they spared us with the Motley Crud and Poison covers.
B+

Stampeders-Sweet City Woman (Bell 1971)

With that clunky banjo riff and side bass note, we get one of those feel good moments from 1971 from a band from Canada that made a country rock album, that went into the cut outs soon after.  Bell Records in the 1970s was the Partridge Family label and the Stampeders was their rock act.  Outside of the hit single, nothing really stands out, just passable country rock.  Collectibles did sweeten the pot with the inclusion of Devil You and Hit The Road Jack, one of the best songs with Wolfman Jack helping out.
B

Joni Mitchell-Both Sides Now (Reprise 2000)

Joni has been a love/hate affair for me.  Most of her earlier album bored me and even Hits didn't grab me as much as Court And Spark and perhaps Blue as well.  This time, Joni puts the folk rock away, grabs a full orchestra, lights up a few Camels and plods her way through some torch songs of long ago and far away.  This album works better if your in a room full of blue light and thick cigarette smoke you can cut with a knife.  To which I'll stick with Billie Holliday or Julie London.
B-

American Authors-Oh What A Life (Island 2014)

It's beginning to be obvious that any music after 2005 is going to be a disappointment and as faceless as they come.  American Authors can be compared to Munford N Sons,  Walk The Sun, Ok Go or the Killers or Boxes era Goo Goo Dolls.  Listening to this, there's a reason why I don't pay much attention to new music anymore.  It's faceless, no soul and each and every song sounds the same.  Some inspiration comes around on Hit it or Believer which might have been played on the radio.  But then again, Walk The Sun wore out their welcome on their second album.  A.A, wore out their welcome after the sixth song.
C

Beaker St. Playlist 7-3  Tyler Vincent compiled.

9 p.m. – 10 p.m.

1. Deep Purple “Exposition/ We Can Work It Out”
2. Cream “Crossroads” (Live- Wheels of Fire)
3. Fairport Convention “Travelling By Steam”
4. Eric Burdon and the Animals “Monterrey”
5. The James Gang “The Bomber: Closet Queen> Bolero> Cast Your Fate to the Wind”
6. Brand X “Nuclear Burn”
7. Jethro Tull “Teacher”
8. Touch “Seventy Five”
9. Free “All Right Now”

10 p.m. – 11 p.m.

1. Jing Chi “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine”
2. Scallion “Dragonfly”
3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience “Red House
4. Jon Butcher Axis “Holy War”
5. Santana “Samba Pa Ti” (Sacred Fire: Live in South America)
6. Acoustic Pagans “Cyrano’s Strut”
7. Leon Russell “This Masquerade”
8. King Crimson “Frame By Frame”
9. Little Feat “Tripe Face Boogie” (Live- Waiting for Columbus)
10. Dixie Dregs “Shapes of Things”

11 p.m. – Midnight

1. Soup “I Might Know Your Name”
2. Mike Oldfield “Five Miles Out”
3. The Doors “The WASP (Texas Radio and The Big Beat)”
4. Savoy Brown “Jack The Toad”
5. Black Oak Arkansas “Lord Have Mercy On My Soul> When Electricity Came To Arkansas”
6. Steppenwolf “Sookie Sookie”
7. Crosby, Stills & Nash “Dark Star”
8. The Doobie Brothers “South City Midnight Lady”