album reviews
George Harrison
Concert For Bangladesh
The Concert for Bangla Desh is rock reaching for its manhood. Under the leadership of George Harrison, a group of rock musicians recognized, in a deliberate, self-conscious, and professional way, that they have responsibilities, and went about dealing with them seriously: My friend came to me, With sadness in his eyes, He told me that he wanted help, Before his country died, Although I couldn't feel the pain, I knew I'd have to try, Now I'm asking all of you, To help us... | More »
Al Green
Gets Next To You
When the impact of Memphis soul music resounded through the world rock community several years back, the sound of Hi Records was barely audible. Today, no one carries the weight of the music as mightily as they, and their product uniformly represents all that is best in contemporary southern soul. No small credit must be given the house band. The fact that the guitar, bass, and organ are played by, brothers (Mabon, Leroy, and Charles Hodges, respectively, along with drummer Howard Grant) is ... | More »
The Kinks
Muswell Hillbillies JVC Compact Discs
Can you tell the Kinks apart in the picture on the cover of their new album? No, of course. Except for Ray, they all look the same these days. Faceless. Their music has also been sounding that way lately. Still, they're a heap better than most other groups you could ever name. Musically, the Kinks' roots in the British Music Hall tradition really show up strongly on Muswell Hillbillies. At least five songs could be described as this type, and when the country-ish material is added,... | More »
Cream
Disraeli Gears Reaction
Within the grooves of this record are miles of listening pleasure. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker are simply superb musicians with the gift of unending virtuosity. The title of the album, as Eric explains it, is a pun. The group was driving along one day trying to think of names for the record, coming up with things like "Elephant Gerald" (Ella Fitzgerald) and hit upon "Disraeli Gears," a word play on English racing bicycles which have derailer gears. Unfortunately the album does ... | More »
Carole King
Music
Anyone who failed to follow up an album that had sold four million copies with a very similar album would have to be either a fool or Bob Dylan. Carole King is neither, and her new album Carole King Music, follows with gingerly tread in the footsteps of Tapestry. The spirit of her music remains warm and strong, her lyrics still carry personal messages of friendship and loyalty, and the same musicians are playing in back of her. Despite the similarity between the two albums, the songs on Carol... | More »
Paul McCartney
Wild Life [US Bonus Tracks]
Like Paul McCartney's first two post-Beatles albums. Wild Life is largely high on sentiment but rather flaccid musically and impotent lyrically, trivial and unaffecting. It lacks the exhilarating highs of Ram (which highs I, as one who found it as worthless as the next guy when it first arrived, can assure you are indeed present), and, in the form of a track called "I Am Your Singer," contains the most embarrassingly puerile single piece of work Paul's been associated with since "Sh... | More »
Miles Davis
Live-Evil Columbia/Legacy
Miles' touted "Fillmore Band" didn't sound much like a band to me. In an area of music where individual virtuosity is the rule rather than the exception, give-and-take between players becomes all important. And only occasionally did the Fillmore crew get down to taking care of business as a unit. There was lots of individual brilliance of course, just like there is lots of individual brilliance on Live-Evil. But this is no collection of isolated geniuses; it's a band, and it�... | More »
Elton John
Madman Across The Water UNI/DJM
Elton John's music means a lot to me, and, as a result, I'm not overjoyed with this album. A record with a theme, it's an account, sometimes photographic, sometimes emotional, all too often metaphorical, of Elton John in America — the madman across the water. As impressions, it's brought out the worst in Bernie Taupin and forced Elton back on his melodic devices. These are sometimes powerful enough to make a song, but too often they're not. I still like this alb... | More »
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Columbia
As with everything else in life, there are two ways to look at it. Undoubtedly, somebody up at Columbia thought that Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Volume II ought to be in there competing with Bangla Desh for the Christmas dollar, and thus the set, complete with beautiful Bangla Desh color cover, was rush-released into the stores. Dylan, bless him, wasn't so calculating, and took pains to include his own Christmas gift: five "new" songs — or, more accurately, five songs made some... | More »
Stevie Wonder
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Motown
In a recent interview, Stevie Wonder said, "I think the ultimate is one's nakedness — being stripped of all these [material] things, and if there's such a thing as the soul that speaks — which I do believe — then that would be seen." These almost mystical ideas have a lot to do with the work of this musical genius. His music is atypical for Motown. He's put out their funkiest, most Memphis-like stuff ("Signed, Sealed, Delivered") as well as their most pop-sou... | More »
Music Reviews
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star ratingRandom Access Memories -
star ratingModern Vampires of the City -
star ratingTrouble Will Find Me
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star ratingExcuse My French -
star ratingDemi -
star ratingSports (30th Anniversary Edition)
Photos & Videos
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