This, another of jazz's very well-known albums is an example of cool jazz and West Coast jazz, I am informed. I don't really know about these things, you see. Whatever, it has an enjoyable free feeling to it that renders it different in ambience to some other recordings from other jazz sub-genres (I'm thinking of the more improvised sound of "hard-bop" and "post-bop"). Blue Rondo A La Turk is a sumptuous merging of jaunty piano from Brubeck himself, rumbling bass and soaring saxophone, featuring several excellent soloing passages. Strange Meadow Lark begins with some lovely solo piano before we get some equally attractive soft saxophone. This is really nice stuff, melodic and relaxing. Then we get the instantly recognisable and difficult to resist strains of piano, cymbals, drums and saxophone of the now iconic Take Five . It is possibly the most famous of all jazz tracks, and that includes anything by Miles Davis or John Coltrane. There is somethi
Amazingly, I had never heard much of Joe Strummer's work with the 101ers in the mid-seventies before he left to join The Clash until recently - just a few tracks here and there. Certainly, back in 1977 when I first heard The Clash I got to know, vaguely, that Strummer had done a bit of "pub rock" before he became a main face in "the only band that matters". That was all, though. Punk was "year zero". Nobody was interested in what went before. Strummer was a bit older than many of the punks, although there were others with a background like The Vibrators, Nick Lowe and Ian Dury, so the fact he had done other stuff was not a surprise. What surprised me was just how similar to what The Clash became after a year or so the material on this excellent twenty track compilation actually is. Listening to so much of it and I just think "The Clash 1979 and onwards". Before punk, if you wanted to rock it up a bit, all down 'n' dirty, then pub rock
1965 saw the breakthroughs made by The Supremes, The Four Tops and The Temptations in the previous year built upon, as those artists went from strength to strength. Martha Reeves & The Vandellas were doing well too, as were Smokey Robinson & The Miracles. In comparison to 1966, however, when Berry Gordy and Motown went full-on soulful pop with pretty much every single, 1965 was still finding him dabbling in other genres, such as country, easy listening and in the occasional novelty release. Some of these I have declined to review! I have tended to stick to the definite "proper" Motown material, for better or worse. Actually, it's clearly for better! Compared to 1966, the stars and diamonds are much less frequently awarded. ⭐ Star hits 💠Hidden gems Disc One The Four Tops - Ask The Lonely/Where Did You Go Heart-wrenching balladry from The Four Tops here. Like its two predecessors, both the 'a' and 'b' sides appeared on the group's debut album.
1963 was the year that Motown started to release just a few records that had The Motown Sound . They were from Martha & The Vandellas. It was their year. Quite a lot of the material in this collection still harked back to the doo-wop era and a fair bit of it was easy-listening crooning stuff too. I haven't reviewed everything on here. I have cherry-picked the 45s that I feel were the most important in the development of Motown as we came to know it. ⭐ Star hits 💠Hidden gems Mary Wells - Laughing Boy/Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right Despite its slightly disconcerting "ha ha ha" backing vocals, Mary Wells gave us a warm, sensual delivery over a nicely syncopated, vaguely Latin shuffling beat. Love those clunky piano breaks too. You can find it in impressive stereo on Mary Wells: The Definitive Collection . The same applies to the beautifully-sounding slow, jazzy groove of Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right. This isn't pop - it is proper jazzy soul . Mary sure
1967 contained a bucketload of classic Motown material. Psychedelic and serious-themed soul had yet to take off, so it was pop all the way - and how. Compared to 1964-66, however, there was just a slight drop-off and vague hints of change in the air, just little ones. Songs such as Bernadette (The Four Tops), Love Is Here And Now You're Gone (The Supremes) and You're My everything (The Temptations) stood as examples of songwriters who were wiling to change style. Smokey Robinson's songwriting was also as clever as ever. Diana Ross & The Supremes' (note the leading lady now credited separately from the other two) Reflections was one of the first Motown records to dabble in Sgt. Pepper-style psychedelia with those strange, spacey sound effects, particularly in its intro. What Motown's 1967 output ignored, however, were the inner city riots, the Vietnam War and general levels of social unrest that the subsequent years' material began to address. The label sta
Released in 1981, this debut solo album launched the phenomenally successful career of ex David Bowie, Roberta Flack and Chic backing singer Luther Vandross . He had previously released material under the name of the band Luther but this was where it really took off for me. Before that, though, special mention has to go to the fabulously funky track, Funky Music (Is A Part Of Me) , which was, of course, re-worked by David Bowie as Fascination on his 1975 Young Americans album. Back to this album. As the eighties arrived, soul music had come out of the other side of the disco boom and was merging the grooves of the dance floor with a romantic, easy sensuality that built on the "quiet storm" soul of the mid-late seventies. Soul also fused regularly with jazz in this period and artists like Vandross and George Benson were immensely popular. Gone were the militant messages of the early seventies, this was aspirationally-linked music that led from a swish, classy, air-conditio
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing 1968 Just how good a duet is Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing? One of Motown's best, surely? Marvin and Tammi just do it. No further comment needed. Perfection. Diana Ross & the Supremes - Reflections 1967 A classic hit here in Reflections, with its psychedelic-style spacey keyboard introductory interjections. While it had a typical Motown sound in its percussion, there was something contemporary about it that fitted with 1967-68. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - If You Can Want 1968 If You Can Want is one of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' best "not quite so well-known" songs, it is a finely-delivered, semi-funky little number. It has a great stereo sound to it as well, or should I say its stereo version does. I love that brass bass and drum intro and then Smokey's mellifluous voice arrives. Heavenly. Dig that conga backing too. The Four Tops - You Keep Running Away 1967 An
The turbulent year of 1968 saw the first signs of Motown dealing with controversial social issues and also musical diversification in the initial strains of psychedelic soul making themselves heard. The changes that would be much-vaunted over the next few years began here. The year was notable at Motown for the last appearance of The Isley Brothers on the label. They would be much missed. As indeed would legendary songwriting trio Holland-Dozier-Holland, for whom this would be the last year that Motown releases featured songs composed by them (other than re-releases or covers), incredibly. What a run they had. Geniuses. ⭐ Star hits 💠Hidden gems Disc One Rita Wright - I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You/Something On Your Mind Syreeta (known here as simply Rita) took the Martha Reeves/Chris Clark route into Motown via working as a secretary. I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You was later covered by Kiki Dee and Suzee Ikeda. Rita's version is acceptable enough, b
This second release was slightly more country than the previous album had been. The "progressive" thing gives way to a more defined rock sound too, along with some jazzy influences, despite the obviously prog-inspired cover! This is perfectly represented by the muscular rock of the opener, A New Life, a track that nevertheless still manages to reach nearly seven minutes. That old experimental/workout urge is obviously still there. A really infectious bassline and slow rhythm underpins the excellent Southern Woman, another lengthy track. It sounds like a more melodious, less down 'n' dirty Lynyrd Skynyrd. Mid-track the band launch into a distinctly jazz groove, featuring some highly impressive saxophone and a great jazz guitar solo. This group had a lot of strings to its collective bow. They were definitely not in the stereotypical country rock pigeonhole. How many other country rock bands put out stuff as inventively different as this? Not many, if any. A very Pure
1964 was not 1965 or 1966 for Motown in that it was still work in progress. That said, this was the year that the label really began to conquer the US, if not the world. The Supremes, The Temptations, Mary Wells, Martha & The Vandellas and Marvin Gaye all achieving huge hits. The Four Tops made their presence felt too and Smokey Robinson, both as a singer and composer, seemed to be everywhere. As with the 1965 collection, I have not reviewed the cheese - the country stuff, the crooners, the novelties or sometimes the simply sub-standard material. As you can see, though, there is still a hell of a lot still here. ⭐ Star hits 💠Hidden gems Disc One Little Stevie Wonder - Castles In The Sand/Thank You (For Loving Me All The Way) "Little" Stevie Wonder plays the bongoes and sings, accompanied by strings and wave sounds on this pleasant enough summer love song. It has real early sixties vibes to it. Thank You (For Loving Me All The Way) is delightfully rhythmic and Stevie
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