Record Reviews

FACES ~ 1970-1975: YOU CAN MAKE ME DANCE, SING OR ANYTHING… RHINO 081227954239 (Barcode: 081227954239) ~ UK ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 1970 - 1975 Released: 2015 This Box Set collects the four studio albums recorded by the legendary British Rock group FacesFind albums by this artist, remastered and expanded with previously unreleased bonus tracks and also including a fifth CD full of bonus material like B-sides, rarities, etc. Faces were formed in 1969 by members of the iconic Pop / Rock band Small FacesFind albums by this artist, following the departure of their lead singer / vocalist Steve MarriottFind albums by this artist, who left to form the supergroup Humble PieFind albums by this artist. The remaining musicians: keyboardist Ian McLaganFind albums by this artist, bassist Ronnie LaneFind albums by this artist and drummer Kenney JonesFind albums by this artist were joined by guitarist Ronnie WoodFind albums by this artist and vocalist Rod StewartFind albums by this artist, both ex-members of Jeff BeckFind albums by this artist´s group. The new quintet lineup dropped the "Small" part of the group´s name and became Faces, one of the most successful British Rock acts in the first part of the 1970. Faces released four studio albums: the debut "The First StepFind albums with this title" in 1970 (which in the US was released still under the Small Faces moniker), the second album "Long PlayerFind albums with this title" in 1971, the third album "A Nod Is As Good As A Wink…To A Blind HorseFind albums with this title" in 1971 and finally the fourth album "Ooh La LaFind albums with this title" in 1973. An ill-fated live album followed before Faces finally disbanded in 1975. In many respects Faces were the epitome of British Rock. They had everything that a great Rock group needed: superb musicianship, sublime songwriting, charismatic and powerful lead singer, years of experience and tons of talent. All those are apparent while listening to the albums in this Box Set, especially from a retrospective viewpoint. The debut album is still full of the Small Faces idiosyncrasies, but the later albums present a new crystallized identity of a group that has its own voice. The fact that Faces used almost exclusively their own original material is also remarkable. And of course they were paying a tribute to the British Blues, with their music being completely soaked in it. Another strange observation that struck me while listening to these albums is how similar this music is to the music Humble Pie played more or less in parallel. Perhaps Marriott´s departure was indeed premature and Small Faces might have developed into an environment he might have been comfortable with. In any case we can´t turn the wheels of change back and after all we were lucky to enjoy both of these sublime groups. The music in this Box Set is evidence of how great the music of the Golden Decade was, consistently strengthened with every reissue of music recorded at that time. The dichotomy between this music and the travesty we call music that is being produced today is simply devastating. This Box Set is an essential capsule of British Rock history, which should not be missed in any serious music collection. Absolute honey to my ears!

Updated: 29/01/2019Posted:

CD 5 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

ROLLING STONES ~ BLUE & LONESOME (DELUXE EDITION) POLYDOR 602557149463 (Barcode: 602557149463) ~ UK ~ Blues Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the twenty-third British studio album (and twenty-fifth American studio album) by The Rolling StonesFind albums by this artist, separated by eleven years from their last studio effort "A Bigger BangFind albums with this title" form 2005. It features twelve covers of Blues standards, which makes it the first Stones album to comprise entirely of covers. In addition to the quartet Stones lineup: vocalist and harp player Mick JaggerFind albums by this artist, guitarists Keith RichardsFind albums by this artist and Ronnie WoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Charlie WattsFind albums by this artist, several other musicians participated in the recording sessions, which took place in London during just three days in December of 2015: bassist Darryl JonesFind albums by this artist and keyboardists Chuck LeavellFind albums by this artist and Matt CliffordFind albums by this artist. Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist plays guitar on two tracks and Jim KeltnerFind albums by this artist plays percussion on one track. The Deluxe Edition contains no additional music in comparison to the standard edition, but is beautifully packaged and includes a hardcover book about the sessions and the origin of the songs and glossy photographs of the band. For The Stones this album is a symbolic closing of a circle. They always were and never stopped to be a Blues band, even when they ventured into other territories, some closer to the Blues like Rhythm And Blues and Rock And Roll and others more remote, like Psychedelic Rock and Pop. But overall, they always had the Blues deep inside their musical guts, which probably is the main reason why they managed to survive and carry on for all these years, now in the sixth decade of their odyssey. The album presents all the "usual" qualities every Stones´ album is blessed with: honesty, directness and no bullshit attitude, which made them always different from most other superstar groups, who came and went away over the years. As Jagger says in the album´s book, The Stones could have recorded this album in 1963 or 1964, and I wish they would have done so, as we would now have that recording to compare with the one made over fifty years later. But listening to the early Stones albums today is good enough to reach the conclusion that five decades made them better in many ways, but more importantly did not blemish any of their basic qualities, which make them what they are. Although "white men can´t jump" might apply to some areas of life, but The Stones phenomenon is a living proof that white musicians can play the Blues with the same emotional and spiritual depth as the forefathers of the idiom. After all it´s not about the color of your skin, but about the color of your soul! And the rest is history…

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 10/03/2017

CD 1 Digibook Box Set Recommend To A Friend

ROLLING STONES ~ HACKNEY DIAMONDS GEFFEN 602458122565 (Barcode: 602458122565) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2019 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is the 24th studio album by the iconic British Rock group The Rolling StonesFind albums by this artist. Reduced to a trio following the death of their drummer Charlie WattsFind albums by this artist, this is the first album of original material since the 2005 album “A Bigger BangFind albums with this title”. Vocalist Mick JaggerFind albums by this artist and guitarists Keith RichardsFind albums by this artist and Ronnie WoodFind albums by this artist carry on the torch, supported by Rock stars like Elton JohnFind albums by this artist, Lady GagaFind albums by this artist, Paul McCartneyFind albums by this artist, ex-Stones bassist Bill WymanFind albums by this artist and numerous others. The album presents twelve songs, eight of which were written by the Jagger-Richards team, three were co-composed with the album’s producer Andrew WattFind albums by this artist and one is a Blues standard by Muddy WatersFind albums by this artist. The music is exactly what one might expect from a classic Rolling Stones album, full of great songs and excellent instrumental performances, superb recording quality with a retro sound and a timeless atmosphere of Classic Rock, showing clearly that six decades of music making definitely did not manage to take Stones off their path. They have more stamina, talent and balls than any contemporary Rock outfit, if there are any real Rock groups out there at all these days. The Stones really define the Classic Rock idiom better than any other musical group in history, not only because they managed to last all this years, but mostly because they managed to stay relevant all these years both a recording artists and phenomenal live performers. Their music has been an important part of the Soundtrack Of My Life for almost as long as I can remember, and never let me down since. Overall, if you are a Stones fan, this album is a true joy from start to finish, which can be cherished minute by minute and savored repeatedly, staying on the favorites list probably forever. If you are not a fan, it’s probably too late for you to save your sanity ;)

Updated: 05/12/2023Posted: 05/12/2023

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

TOMORROW ~ TOMORROW (EXPANDED EDITION) EMI 724349881921 (Barcode: 724349881921) ~ UK ~ Psychedelic Pop & Rock Recorded: 1967 - 1968 Released: 1999 This is the remastered and expanded reissue of the only album by short-lived British Psychedelic Pop / Rock band TomorrowFind albums by this artist, which comprised of vocalist Keith WestFind albums by this artist, guitarist Steve HoweFind albums by this artist, bassist John WoodsFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. JuniorFind albums by this artist) and drummer John AlderFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. TwinkFind albums by this artist). The album´s producer Mark WirtzFind albums by this artist played keyboards on the album. This expanded edition also features solo material by West, which was recorded with Howe, bassist Ronnie WoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist and tracks recorded by The Aquarian Age sidekick band which was Twink and Junior Although quite charming and innovative at the time, in retrospect Tomorrow were not much different from hundreds of other Psychedelic bands that were popping up on the British scene in the late 1960s. The album was quickly deleted from the Parlophone catalog, only to be elevated to a "lost gem" status a few years later when Howe became the guitar hero for Yes and the hype hit the fan. The band moved in the same circles as other early Psychedelic bands, like Soft MachineFind albums by this artist, John`s ChildrenFind albums by this artist, Arthur BrownFind albums by this artist and many others and their material sounds similar, but alas less impressive than the songs written by these bands. West was not a very impressive vocalist and an uneven songwriter (he authored almost all the songs appearing here). Howe played some nice guitar licks on this album and to be honest his playing did not improve much after this. Overall this is a nice document of an era, accurately preserving the carefree atmosphere of the time and the spirit of searching and experimentation, which existed in Pop and Rock as much as in other music genres and of course other Arts. This is definitely worth checking out by Psychedelia lovers.

Updated: 12/01/2016Posted: 12/01/2016

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend