Record Reviews

BOX TOPS ~ THE LETTER * NEON RAINBOW / CRY LIKE A BABY / NON STOP / DIMENSIONS BGO 1400 (Barcode: 5017261214003) ~ USA ~ Classic Pop Recorded: 1967 - 1969 Released: 2020 This is a reissue of the four albums by American Pop group The Box TopsFind albums by this artist, fronted by the charismatic deep-throated vocalist Alex ChiltonFind albums by this artist. The group enjoyed an unexpected international success with their single "The Letter" and continued their activity for about a couple of years, releasing for LPs. This remastered reissue includes these four LPs and all known early non-album recordings as bonus tracks, accompanied by a booklet with well written and well researched liner notes. The Box Tops were a typical American blue-eyed soul outfit influenced by the British Invasion. As most Pop groups at the time they performed songs written by their producers, such as Dan PennFind albums by this artist, Spooner OldhamFind albums by this artist and Chips MomanFind albums by this artist, or covers of songs by other artists, but in time Chilton started to write original songs, which were included on the two last albums. Although musically somewhat simplistic, in retrospect these songs are all a classics example of American Pop at the time and sound remarkably fresh today, especially in view of what passes as music these days. Chilton´s contributions remain as some of the most iconic vocal performances of American Pop. For more experienced listeners these albums are a remarkable example of the Memphis Sound, with the typical arrangements and instrumental work that characterized the Memphis studios at the time, which over time produced a massive part of American Pop. Overall this is a wonderful trip back in time, which offers a glance at American Pop at one of its focal periods and a great collection of songs, which is definitely worth revisiting. I definitely had a blast with this album!

Updated: 12/04/2020Posted: 12/04/2020

CD 2 Slipcase Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

RITA COOLIDGE ~ RITA COOLIDGE / NICE FEELIN` BGO 0846 (Barcode: 5017261208460) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2009 This is a reissue of the first two albums by American Rock vocalist Rita CoolidgeFind albums by this artist, both released in 1971. Together the twofer presents twenty wonderful songs written for her by the best songwriters of the period and she is accompanied by a stellar lineup which includes keyboardists Leon RussellFind albums by this artist and Booker T. JonesFind albums by this artist, guitarists Spooner OldhamFind albums by this artist, Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist, Marc BennoFind albums by this artist and Clarence WhiteFind albums by this artist, bassist Chris EthridgeFind albums by this artist, drummer Jim KeltnerFind albums by this artist and many others, as well as brass and string sections. Coolidge was discovered by the team Delaney & BonnieFind albums by this artist and very quickly became a permanent part of the American Rock scene singing backing vocals on countless classic Rock albums by Leon Russell, Joe CockerFind albums by this artist, Graham NashFind albums by this artist, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Bob DylanFind albums by this artist, Stephen Stills and many others. She was blessed by a wonderfully expressive voice and a superb feeling for Soul / Rhythm And Blues / Rock, which she expressed both as a backing vocalist and a lead singer. This reissue is a wonderful reminder of these wonderful days when American Rock was most productive and capable of creating lasting music. Although Coolidge enjoyed a successful career in the years that followed these two early albums and her work with the a.m. artists are for me the pinnacle of her artistic achievements. Overall this is a great glimpse at the days when everything sounded better, looked nicer and tasted sweeter then ever. An absolute Classic Rock bonanza!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 20/09/2020

CD 1 Slipcase Remastered Recommend To A Friend

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG ~ DÉJÀ VU LIVE REPRISE 093624983910 (Barcode: 093624983910) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2006 Released: 2008 This is a live album by the seminal Classic Rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash & YoungFind albums by this artist, recorded during their 2006 tour (called the "Freedom Of Speech" tour). The tour was initially intended as a Neil YoungFind albums by this artist tour supporting his new (at the time) album "Living With WarFind albums with this title", but Young asked David CrosbyFind albums by this artist, Stephen StillsFind albums by this artist and Graham NashFind albums by this artist to join him and as a result a reunion of the group occurred. The tour produced a film (called "Déjà Vu") and this album, which is basically a soundtrack of the film. The four members of the group are accompanied by guitarist Ben KeithFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Spooner OldhamFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Tom BrayFind albums by this artist, bassist Rick RosasFind albums by this artist and drummer Chad CromwellFind albums by this artist. The album presents a mixture of songs from the "Living With War" album and classic early songs by the group, which overall results in a rather strange and inconsistent / incoherent mix, which obviously is more about protest and political activism than about the music. The sound quality of the recording is also problematic, with uneven balance between the vocals and the instrumental work. Young added some studio overdubs to the live material later on. In retrospect, this album has relatively limited artistic value in the overall career of this splendid group. It has a historical value as a document of the tour and a reflection of the group´s political activism, which was always a part of their milieu, but is not something many listeners would probably choose to revisit often.

Updated: 20/01/2019Posted: 20/01/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend