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Buju Banton: 'Til Shiloh - 1995

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Buju Banton came along at the time when classic reggae and roots reggae had begun to morph, via Ragga, into the hip-hop influenced digital stuff that would see the new millennium in. I have covered his most successful album.  It was here that my own reggae tastes changed as I stuck with the sounds from my youth, uninterested in the new sub-genres.  The devout, roots consciousness of the seventies had given way to hip-hop style macho braggadocio, drug and gun culture, homophobia and sexism excused under the umbrella of “slackness”.  Now, I’m certainly no prude, but this sort of ignorant posturing just isn’t my thing. I didn’t like the sound of the music either - I prefer my reggae traditional, played on “proper” instruments or, if it is programmed, done so in a dub style.  This is an album, though, that I can enjoy - lyrically it is surprisingly sensitive and musically, it has several fine moments.  That was because, despite Banton’s earlier (and now disowned) unfortunate descent into h
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Sam Dees: The Show Must Go On - 1975

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This superb 1975 album from an artist that was better-known as a songwriter (for Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Millie Jackson and KC & The Sunshine Band among many others), is a virtually unknown gem of a rarity. Coming a bit late to the message of urban decay-societal decline-drug abuse trend of the late sixties-early seventies in soul music it still carried a fine, funky punch to it, both musically and lyrically. Another fine point about it is the fact that there is not only meaningful, conscious material on here but also some sweet soul too. It has a nice balance to it.  The  album has lain dormant, out of print, for many years until it appeared on the Atlantic Soul Legends 20 album compilation, delighting soul fans. The sound on it is absolutely stunning too, lovely and bassy.  Child Of The Streets  is a marvellously atmospheric, slow burning social message Blaxploitation-ish number, with obvious echoes of Curtis Mayfield, The Temptations, The
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Mott: Drive On - 1975

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My favourite band in the 1970s was  Mott The Hoople . After they had split in October 1974, I stuck with charismatic lead singer Ian Hunter as he put out his solo work, which was, and still is, excellent.  Then there was the rest of the band. What should I do about them? They formed the spin-off group,  "Mott" , no longer containing the by now iconic Hunter, or guitarists Mick Ralphs or Ariel Bender. Only drummer  Dale "Buffin" Griffin , bassist  Overend Watts  and latter-day pianist  Morgan Fisher  remained. They were joined by guitarist  Ray Major  and "Spinal-Tap"-esque lead singer  Nigel Benjamin , complete with high-pitched "heavy rock" squeal and a harlequin one-piece suit. Oh dear, oh God, oh my-oh.... (check out the  Friars Aylesbury  website. I was at the gig, in June 1976).  I stuck with them for this 1975 album, out of some sort of loyalty, a bit like watching a favourite footballer at the end of his career, plying his trade in the low
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Rod Stewart: An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down - 1969

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Firstly, a brief intro to Roderick David Stewart.... As for many of my contemporaries, it was actually Maggie May  that first captivated me as a twelve year-old,  watching soon to be legendary  cocksman  kick footballs around on  Top Of The Pops . I liked his flamboyant, laddish cheekiness and it was just such a great song, wasn't it? I duly bought the single and then the equally good (if not better) You Wear It Well , followed by What Made Milwaukee Famous  and Oh No Not My Baby  as they duly came out. I became a Faces fan too, unsurprisingly. Rod was a lad. The Faces were lads. I was a lad. The deal was sealed. As the decade continued, I faced the dilemma that faced many Rod Stewart fans as he turned up on Top Of The Pops in make-up to sing The First Cut Is The Deepest  just as punk was beginning to take off and, by 1978 was coming out with the awful cod-disco of Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?  What to do? A hugely credible artist was becoming a preening self-parody in front of our e
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Rod Stewart: Gasoline Alley - 1970

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Rod Stewart's debut solo album, from the previous year,  had been an eclectic, adventurous collection of cover versions of classic rock, folk and blues songs played in a largely "acoustic rock" style and some of his own songs written and played in the same style. It was very rough and ready, with an "almost live" energy that suited Stewart's blues-raised rasping vocal.  This follow-up was more of the same, but it was slightly more polished, with Stewart sounding more confident, as if he was now convinced that the first experiment had been a successful one.  The album is pretty low on electric guitar, apart mainly from  Ronnie Wood 's bluesy bottleneck, although there are other sporadic appearances, but the full-on acoustic attack rocks as hard as any axe and the drums are huge and powerful. Stewart treats rock 'n' roll songs as if they were folk songs - but incredibly rocking folk songs. The whole album has a loose, unbridled feel about it that i
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Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells A Story - 1971

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Rod Stewart's first four albums were mixtures of rock, folk, country and blues with some Sam Cooke-style soul atmosphere thrown in in places.  They were highly credible, atmospheric and enjoyable albums.  All five members of the Faces appeared on this one, so it was, to all intents and purposes, a Faces album.  The first two albums,  An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down  and  Gasoline Alley  were more folky than rocky, in comparison with this album and had just a few rough edges about them, particularly the first one. All such edges were ironed out here, though, and this was Rod Stewart's first real quality release. It all came together and, together with an iconic single release taken from the album, made Rod Stewart a household name.  Every Picture Tells A Story   starts quietly and then kicks into a storming blast of rock with a few folk influences and a copper-bottomed Stewart vocal remembering how he  "fell in love with a slit-eyed girl"  in a way he would
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Rod Stewart: Never A Dull Moment - 1972

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  Rod Stewart's fourth solo album follows the same excellent blues-folk-soul-rock path that was so successful on the previous year's  Every Picture Tells A Story .  Once again, members of The Faces make large contributions so the album is, once again, very much like a   Faces  album .   True Blue  is a fabulous rocking opener - great riffs, drums, blues rock vocals from Stewart and another one of those  Stay With Me   rocking instrumental (with added vocals) endings that end things on such a high note.  Lost Paraguayos  was one of those mandolin-drive folky rock workouts like  Reason To Believe  and  Mandolin Wind . Again, excellent, thumping drum backing from Kenney Jones and top notch work from the whole band. It contains some dodgy lyrics about sex with an underage girl and ending up in a Mexican jail as a result. Good old Rod, eh? Just this side of the law, it seems. Mama You Been On My Mind . The quality continues into this impressive, steel guitar-dominated Dylan cover.
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Rod Stewart: Smiler - 1974

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  This was the last of the "credible" Rod Stewart solo albums,  before he crossed the Atlantic and became a huge chart superstar, and consequently somewhat preposterous in image.  This album still featured members of  The Faces  on many tracks and most of the other musicians from the previous four albums. It would be the last of those collaborations, though, which was a shame, but you could tell that something was going to give. The Faces had already virtually split, of course, with inter-band tensions all over the place.  After releasing no solo album apart from the compilation  Sing It Again, Rod  for over two years, it was a watershed album for many reasons other than those already stated. It was simply not quite as good as the previous four and it had a feeling of "treading water" about it, with Stewart restless to have his shot at the big time, and his old mates, possibly, getting a bit cheesed off with his "Charlie big potatoes" posturings.  It was a
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Rod Stewart: Atlantic Crossing - 1975

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  Atlantic Crossing  is a most enjoyable album,  immaculately played by top session musicians including the legendary Memphis guitarist Steve Cropper, but it is the sort of album that, a while after listening to it, you can’t really remember much about it. It's not a classic, but neither is it bad.  It was commercially huge, of course, so who am I to say it is ordinary?  I do feel, however, that it just didn’t have that appealing folky blues vibe of Rod Stewart’s first five solo albums. Those acoustic guitars and mandolins were gone, replaced by a driving US rock sound.  It marked the start of his transatlantic mega-stardom and much of that homely feel of those early albums was gone, forever. Rod Stewart albums would now be musically note-perfect, played by experienced musicians, but from now on they would just be a little soulless, which was a shame. That  joie de vivre  of those albums and the Faces work would never be repeated, unfortunately.  There is certainly some excellent m
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Rod Stewart: A Night On The Town - 1976

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Of the albums released after Rod Stewart "sold out"  and became a somewhat preposterous, preening superstar, this is by far my favourite. I prefer it to the incredibly successful predecessor  Atlantic Crossing . It is packed full of excellent, riffy rock songs and big rock ballads of the sort that Stewart did so well.  The "slow side" starts with the smoochy Tonight's The Night . Here we get the sensual, seductive majesty of   this knee-trembler   with Rod going all lecherous - the lusty  cocksman  telling his innocent and apparently virginal young companion just exactly how good her night is going to be. It is ludicrously horny and corny, of course, but who cares, I can't help but love it. The original recording had Rod's squeeze at the time,  Britt Ekland , sighing and cooing in French all over the end part. Subsequent releases have deleted it out, which was a shame as the vocals added a certain erotic atmosphere.  The First Cut Is The Deepest   is an
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Rod Stewart: Footloose & Fancy Free - 1977

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  This was perhaps the last completely credible Rod Stewart album for many a year.  The first five had been excellent, the two "American" ones -  Atlantic Crossing  and  A Night On The Town  were more than acceptable.   This was another one recorded since he became a Transatlantic superstar and the quality was still pretty good, just about holding on in there. Critically, I have seen it regularly panned as a lazy, complacent offering, at odds with the spirit of punk that was everywhere in 1977. I have to beg to disagree here. The next album meets that description in some ways, but this one, in my opinion, still has a lot to offer.  Everyone knows saucy old Rod's Stonesy lusty, riff-laden rocker,  Hot Legs .  Again, it is corny and contrived, but it rocks, it has to be said, with some great guitar and vocals.  "I love ya hunaaaay - da da da da daaah" . I must get my wife to dig out her  "jet black suspender belt"  again. Steady on now..... You're In
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Rod Stewart: Blondes Have More Fun - 1978

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Having put out a surprisingly good album in 1977's  Footloose And Fancy Free ,   Rod Stewart  still a huge chart-topping artist, just about held on to his reputation with this album - just about.  Released at the height of punk, it bore no relevance to the revolution that hung in the air, being a mixture of chugging, now typical guitar-driven rockers and somewhat corny, romantic, often lecherous ballads. Stewart still knew how to pen a catchy tune, his muse had yet to desert him.  Let's get to feeling sexy.... Da Ya Think Im Sexy ?  Some have described the album, over the years, as his "disco album". Personally, I don't really get that. It is still very much a mainstream radio rock album for me, despite the layered disco synthesisers of its most famous track, the abomination that is this questionable offering . Even after all these years, I still have a fair amount of contempt for that song. I have to admit, however, that it is impossibly singalong, even for me. T
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