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felser

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Everything posted by felser

  1. I often find I've done that on BFT's, two or three cuts sitting on my shelf that I misidentify or think I've never heard.
  2. My favorite (but most costly!) part of other people's BFT's is being educated on tracks I like but don't know!
  3. 1 – Susan Cowsill - “Wawona Morning” from the album ‘Just Believe It’, 2004 Blue Rose Records She was the little preteen sister member when the Cowsills had their run of 1967-1969 hits, including “The Rain, The Park, and Other Things” and “Hair”. “Retired” at the age of 12, did some background singing in the 70’s and 80’s for Dwight Twilly, etc., came back 20 years later in the great Continental Drifters, and wrote and recorded two solo albums of incredibly moving singer/songwriter material, including the amazing “Crescent City Sneaux” about the aftermath of Katrina (she lives in New Orleans). Between her solo work and her Continental Drifters/Psycho Sister collaborations with former Bangles singer/lead guitarist Vicki Peterson (who married one of Cowsill’s brothers), no artist has brought me more joy over the past quarter century. Cowsill and her husband Russ Broussard wrote this. She wrote or co-wrote almost entire album, co-produced it with Broussard. Allmusic raves about it, calling it “masterful music from a major talent”. http://www.allmusic.com/album/just-believe-it-mw0000170254 2 – Gil Scott-Heron – “Peace Go With You, Brother” from the album ‘Winter in America’, 1974 Strata-East Records He is greatly missed – we need him more than ever. And I consider this song his foremost masterpiece. It holds just as true now as it did in 1973. 3 – Don “Sugarcane” Harris – “Runnin’ Away” from the album ‘Cup Full of Dreams’, 1974 MPS Records. Fascinating musician, my favorite electric violin player. Started out as half of the R&B duo don & Dewey in the pre-Beatles era, did a rewarding stint with Frank Zappa (that’s Harris on the Hot Rats album) played with Harvey Mandel in the underrated Pure Food and Drug Act following their stretch with John Mayall. This album includes Dewey Terry on keyboards, and many of the musicians from the Mayall ‘Back to the Roots’ and ‘USA Union’ albums. Harris burns on this cut. 4 – Jimmy Heath – “Faraway Lands” from the album “Love and Understanding”, Muse Records. Great composition, great group, great album. This was Heath’s prime period, was very sad when he chose to go retro with his brothers on Columbia (who compromised all of their jazz musicians except Dexter Gordon in the mid-70’s). 5 – Frank Walton – “Shorter’s Vibe” from the album ‘Reality’ Delmark Records 1978 I had never heard of Walton or this album prior to seeing it on Stefan’s listing and buying it. Pretty interesting Chicago group. In addition to Walton, Ari Brown on TS/SS, Henry Threadgill on AS (don’t hear him on this cut), Jodie Christian on piano. 6- Mark Masters – “Is It Not True Simply Because You Cannot Believe It?” from the album ‘Priestess’, 1990 Capri Records. Wonderful arrangements on four Harper cuts, plus another four cuts featuring Jimmy Knepper, 7 – Nicole Mitchell’s Ice Crystal – “Adaptability” from the album ‘Aquarius’, 2013 Delmark Records. Traded for this one with another board member and was stunned when I heard it! Obviously influenced by Dolphy’s “Out To Lunch”, but also very different in other ways. 8 – Grachen Moncur III – “New Africa” from the album ‘Exploration’, 2004 Capri Records Not too shabby of a group. Great update of Moncur’s late 60’s compositional gem. The album really highlights what a great writer Moncur is, and the Masters arrangements are fabulous. 9 Santana – “Echizo” from the album ‘Santana iV’, 2016 Santana IV Records. I really like the album, everyone plays well. The lyrics on the carnal cuts are an utter embarrassment (they would be bad enough sung by someone in their 20’s, but positively mortifying being sung Gregg Rolie when he is pushing 70), the cosmic brotherhood stuff is a little silly in 2016 America, but pleasant enough, even sung by 75 year old Ronald Isley (the combo works better than I would have thought). The instrumental stuff is pretty great, as is the musicianship on the vocal stuff. There is also a live show available on CD/DVD/Blu-Ray that I highly recommend if you are into it, though Carlos still often says goofy things when he talks. But he and Neal Schon sound great together, and are having a wonderful time, as are all involved. 10 – The Bangs (later known as the Bangles) – “Bitchen Summer/Speedway”, recorded 1982, from the compilation ‘Ladies and Gentlemen---the Bangles!”, 2014 Omnivore Records Written by Susanna Hoffs and David Roeback (cult hero of The Rain Parade and Mazzy Star), performed by Hoffs, and Debbi and Vicki Peterson. If you’ve ever seen the Bangles live, you know they are monster musicians, and their “Hazy Shade of Winter” is one of my favorite pieces of music ever. While I’m not surprised no one got this, if you listen, they do tell you who it is right at the beginning of the cut. Vicki Peterson joined the Continental Drifters (Susan Cowsill, Pete Holsapple of the DB’s), married one of Cowsill’s brothers, and joined with Susan Cowsill to create side act the Psycho Sisters. 11 – David Weiss & Departure – “I Have a Dream” from the album ‘Snuck In’, 2010 Sunnyside Records. J.D. Allen on tenor (not a Tony Tenor). Wonderful group, Weiss is an incredible musician. 12 - Gil Scott-Heron – “Peace Go With You, Brother (reprise)” from the album ‘Winter in America’, 1974 Strata-East Records. Reprised cause it has to be, same as on the original album. 13 – Susan Cowsill - “Wawona Twilight” from the album ‘Just Believe It’, 2004 Blue Rose Records No one picked up that this was also a reprise of the first cut, trying to end well and to add a double symmetry to the BFT. Janson Lohmeyer is the pianist (I’ve never heard of him before either, but think this is beautiful).
  4. Ellington at Newport (why has no one mentioned this?) Ellington Uptown And His Mother Called Him Bill but there are dozens of others worthy of being on the list - these may have as much to do with their initial impact on me (I came to them all very early in my jazz journey) as their relative merit compared to his many other great recordings.
  5. Russ Tamblyn Rita Moreno Natalie Wood
  6. felser

    Yes

    Great song, and they definitely had the sartorial style.
  7. felser

    Yes

    Yes, that has always seemed ludicrous to me. To see mundane artists from Joan Jett to Abba to Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps to some of the gangsta rap dudes inducted and groups like the ones you mention, Genesis, and the Moody Blues ignored. Definite systematic bias at work. And Yes should have been the first, so hopefully the floodgates open now.
  8. felser

    Yes

    I think in that song the lyrics are meant to be musical, they SOUND really good in the flow of that recording. And on whole, they have some pretty interesting threads. R.E.M. took the same approach in their early albums ("Cuyahoga" being a prime example). Worked/works for me. "Heart Of The Sunrise" Love comes to you and you follow Lose one on to the Heart of the Sunrise SHARP-DISTANCE How can the wind with its arms all around me Lost on a wave and then after Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise SHARP-DISTANCE How can the wind with so many around me lost in the city Lost in their eyes as you hurry by Counting the broken ties they decide Love comes to you and then after Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise SHARP-DISTANCE How can the wind with its arms all around me SHARP-DISTANCE How can the wind with so many around me I feel lost in the city Lost in their eyes as you hurry by Counting the broken ties they decided Straight light moving and removing SHARPNESS of the colour sun shine Straight light searching all the meanings of the song Long last treatment of the telling that relates to all the words sung Dreamer easy in the chair that really fits you Love comes to you and then after Dream on on to the Heart of the Sunrise SHARP-DISTANCE How can the sun with its arms all around me SHARP-DISTANCE How can the wind with so many around me I feel lost in the city
  9. felser

    Yes

    Makes me think of the old Ray Davies lyric: You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood BoulevardSome that you recognize, some that you've hardly even heard ofPeople who worked and suffered and struggled for fameSome who succeeded and some who suffered in vain
  10. felser

    Yes

    We can meet up at the restaurant at the end of the universe to see how it works out.
  11. felser

    Yes

    Yeah, Banks must have really ticked off some of the other guys early on, as he has sort of totally been excised from the history of the band. I really enjoyed his contributions to the early albums, as well as Kaye's. While I wouldn't replace Howe or Wakeman with them, I didn't really sense any great musical need to replace either of them. I admit they would have been a very different group had those changes not been made, but I think it would have still been something really good. I utterly enjoy the Flash and Badger albums, almost right up there with the Yes albums. The 'Time and a Word' debacle must have taken a terrible toll on the group dynamics, the same way 'Ceremony' disaster did on Spooky Tooth. And had that group followed up 'Spooky Two' with something equally great, we might talk about them a lot more today than we do. At least Wright and Harrison got it patched up later on, unlike Yes with Banks. The Montreux concert from 2003 is great, atmosphere and music come together beautifully. Love Montreux concert vibes in general, have DVD's of everyone from Chic to Yes to Suzanne Vega to Van Morrison to Charles Mingus.
  12. felser

    Yes

    'Yes', 'The Yes Album', 'Fragile', 'Close To The Edge', and 'Yessongs' all have places in my heart, and I have gotten plenty of enjoyment from later material. Watching the 'Live at Montreux' video really nailed for me how, as previously mentioned, Squires' bass playing drove the whole thing. I still get chills hearing "Heart of the Sunrise" and some other material of that vintage. The box set is a great deal BTW.
  13. Wow, what a rhythm section and interesting history, yet I have never heard of Lewis before this! I have a nice sleeper CD by Ron Kobayahi, another musician who I have otherwise never heard of.
  14. and to track 13. Here is a link to Cowsill's exquisite "Crescent City Snow", about the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
  15. Yep, sure is, excellent sleuthing!. I think she's great. That should give you good clues into the other bonus question.
  16. I find it embarrassing to listen to 69 year old Gregg Rolie coming on like a horny 19 year old in "Shake It" and "Anywhere You Want to Go", but the album sounds great in the background, and everyone plays really well.
  17. Yessir Very good album as long as you don't really listen to the lyrics. Summary: No ID on cuts 1,5,10,13 Partial ID on cuts 3,7. . Full ID's made on cuts 2,4,6,8,9,11,12.
  18. We do have compatible tastes, which I am thankful for. You scored big points with me when you ID'd Charles Sullivan's "Genesis" on my first-ever BFT!
  19. Looking for interesting trade of equivalent value. Please IM if interested;
  20. Don't sleep in 'Lotus', the 3CD live set with the 'Welcome' band. I paid big bucks for the Japanese import vinyl in the 70's and didn't regret it, then also bought the 2CD set when it came out in the 90's.
  21. Yes! A recent discovery for me, and I want to hear more of her. Recommendations sought.
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