felser

A Love Supreme at 17 was the turning point for me, late 1972. Transition came a little later, I think late '73, and remains my favorite Trane album of all.

And then they broke up (for a while).

They definitely changed direction post-Terry Knight. I actually quite enjoy the Terry Knight-era albums (their first ones), especially their second, just called "Grand Funk". Granted, I was in the perfect age group for that response to those albums (14 years old in 1969), and I'm not saying they're really good or anything, just that I really like them. They're fun to me. Regardless of whether you like the original albums or not, "We're an American Band" the album is quite a different beast. And "We're an American Band" the song is misogynist AOR garbage - another one of those songs I hope I never hear again.

1973 was a lousy year for rock music in a lot of ways, quality fell off a cliff. Horribly disappoint album by the Allman Bros. (Brothers and Sisters - hope I never hear "Rambin' Man" again), horribly disappointing album by the Rolling Stones (Goat's Head Soup), horribly disappointing album by Chicago (VI), horrible album by Grand Funk (We're An American Band), etc. Good year for Soul/R&B, but rock fell off a cliff. Over-Nite Sensation fit right in with the slop.

They've been favorites of mine for almost 50 years, especially 'Halfbreed' and 'The Time is Near'. Miller Anderson wrote, sang, and played guitar on great songs for them, they had first call british horn players and keyboard players. Excellent stuff. I got the box and sold off my individual CD's. Five prime discs (with bonus cuts) with the Miller Anderson version, followed by two increasingly meh discs of later stuff. But the five discs are worth way more than the cost of admission. BTW, their manager refused to let them be filmed for Woodstock move - oops!

Same here (I like Apostrophe quite a bit more). To have all that firepower in that band and to use it to make AOR songs with dirty jokes is such a waste, and such a fall from what he was doing the year before, though he reached sales levels he had probably never imagined (or maybe he had, and that was the point of the album).

I liked Yes's albums prior to "Tales" a lot, even the first two prior to "The Yes Album" (especially like the 1969 debut with all those cover versions). "Tales" was the first one that didn't really click for me, but I kept listening and have everything recorded through the 70's on my primary shelves. I don't worry much about the lyrics, they're just there as a another sound ("Sharp! Distance! How can the wind with so many around me? I feel lost in the city" SOUNDS great on "Heart of the Sunrise", even if the meaning is, er, rather vague). "Tales" just struck me then and strikes me now as spectacularly overblown. The only time I saw them live (at Spectrum, ca. 1974) was when that album had just come out, and it was a tough listen when you were waiting for "Roundabout" and "Starship Trooper" and the like.

I was at a Dizzy Gillespie Big Band concert (which Gillespie himself missed due to medical issues) at Penn's Landing some time in 1992. David Sanchez, who had a "young lions" Columbia recording deal at that point, gave what he clearly thought was a hotshot solo on one of the old Dizzy warhorses. Mario Rivera, veteran sax player of many Afro-Cuban bands, soloed next. He stepped up, played Sanchez's solo perfectly, re-played it adding funny burlesque touches, then played his own solo, stepping back to thunderous applause. Same group/concert, the trumpet section was Jon Faddis, Freddie Hubbard, and Wynton Marsalis. Faddis and Hubbard were trying hard to out-clown each other, ripping off high notes and stuff while laughing and grinning, and Wynton was clearly disgusted by the whole display, playing his solos totally straight and controlled with a sober face and manner. Really interesting afternoon.

I like that Coleman album a lot!

Only time I ever saw Zappa live was that version of the band headlining the Spectrum in Philly April 28, 1973. Opening act was John Hammond, solo with an acoustic guitar, sitting on a stool. Second act was the classic Mahavishnu Orchestra (McLaughlin/Goodwin/Hammer/Laird/Cobham), who just killed it. Zappa & Co. played great, but to my ears couldn't compare to Mahavishnu. Quite a night. Tickets in those days were like $5-$6! Here's an article about the concert I found: https://jrirwin.com/remembering-zappa-and-mahavishnu-at-the-spectrum/

Pre-ordered the 2CD from Amazon a few weeks ago. This is the Beatles album for which I most look forward to the Giles Martin remix, and his others are marvelous.

I got it used cheap, $50, and ended up being very pleased by it. A lot of great music, though also a lot of what you mention.

I bought the Euro version of the Evans set and sold the rustbox.

Going in Circles

Zappa estate coming out with a 4CD/1BR box of 1972 recordings, centered around the sessions for 'Waka/Jawaka' and 'The Grand Wazoo'. Sounds really good, the only other giant box besides the 'Hot Rats' one I would consider a 'must have'. I'll watch prices and pre-order. $60 list, so much better than normal in that regard for Zappa boxes. https://theseconddisc.com/2022/10/18/it-just-might-be-a-one-shot-deal-zappas-1972-chronicled-on-new-cd-blu-ray-box-waka-wazoo/

Hope you did the same with his 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' !

U.K. version is three songs longer, but U.S. version has the transcendent "Paint It Black".

Count me as a fan of 'Midnight Walk' (and of 'And Then Again'). I used "Lycra Too?" on one of my BFT's a few years ago.

Sort of, they jumped decades. BTW, fascinating album.

Brazilia '67 rather than Brasil '66. And I agree, it sounds pretty decent. Hard to go wrong with that song.

He gave it to them, and produced it for them,

He wrote it!