The Rascals - Peaceful World (1971)

The Rascals - Peaceful World

  Felix Cavaliere took the Rascals in 1971 in a direction that had not been experimented with too many time teaming up with some big time jazz luminaries to produce a unique album of soul, funk and jazz charm.   Joining the Rascals is Alice Coltrane, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrell  and Ron Carter adding their talents and moods.

    This double vinyl album contains some pretty trippy and psychy moments actually and at times really takes on a "Blood, Sweat and Tears" like sound.  But there is also funk , progressive , pop and jazz moments too making this a very cool listen.

The Church - Heyday (1986)

The Church - Heyday

  "Heyday" was the sixth album released by Australia's art rockers The Church and was the first album I bought from these guys back in the day.    The song "Already Yesterday" grabbed my attention as I recall and I used to put that track on my compilation tapes I used to make!   Wow where have those days gone !

  So some 25 years later here I am still listening to "Heyday" ...so for me it stood the test of time i guess.   Does anyone else adore this album like I do ?   I never hear much about this album of this band for that matter.....

Production wise this album sure does feel 1980's and you can tell its origination!

Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love (1985)

Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love

  Highschool soundtrack album!   Omg we listened to is album a billion times and it sent us all into the discovery of Kate Bush........next thing I recall is that I had all her albums and became a fan for a lifetime!   Hounds of Love is an extraordinary album with its musical duality with side one devoted to the hits and side B devoted to more the exploration of sound and themes.

Side one features some of Kate's most pop-sensitive moments ever recorded with somgs like Running Up That hill, The Big Sky and Cloudbusting.  Side two is clearly music in ode to dreams which runs more like a dream sequence.

THE musical moment of this album for me is the short prayer "and dream of sheep" which just gets me everytime!

Orchestration on the album was handled by Michael Kaman and that ends up making a huge impact on the overall feeling of this recording.

So many hi points to mention all but the addition of John Williams on guitar on "this morning fog" is just simply beautiful.

Breathtaking music for a lifetime ........the hounds of love are haunting me!!!!

John Foxx - The Garden (1981)

John Foxx - The Garden

 John Foxx was of course best known as the original lead singer of UK prog electronic pop band Ultravox.  Foxx recorded the first three album with Ultravox before going solo of which "The Garden" would be his second release.  

  On this album, Foxx continues his pop electronic explorations with great affect.

So Blue, So Funky - Volume One (2001)

So Blue, So Funky - Volume One

I have always loved the funky organ Blue Note albums...whether Jimmy McGriff or John Patton and here is the first collection for the Masters of the Hammond series.  This double vinyl set from Blue Note is just killer featuring some of the grooviest songs from the grooviest of groovers......

 Artists include Jimmy McGriff, John Patton, Jimmy Smith, Freddie Roach, Fred Jackson, Larry Young, Lou Donaldson, Grant Green and Reuben Wilson.    

Although I have a lot of these albums I still just love this compilation from start to finish!

First great volume in this series that focuses on the brilliant organ players in the Blue Note catalog, with a mix of grooves that ranges from hard funky playing to more complicated Coltrane-esque lines. Tracks include "Plaza De Toros" by Larry Young, "Brown Sugar" by Freddie Roach, "Silver Metre" by John Patton, "Ain't It Funky Now" by Grant Green, "Butter (Fo Yo Popcorn)" by Jack McDuff, "Boop Bop Bing Bash" by George Braith, and "Face To Face" by Babyface Willette. Plus, this LP set includes 2 tracks not on the CD – "Hot Rod" by Reuben Wilson and "Wine, Wine, Wine" by Freddie Roach!

The Watch - Tracks From The Alps (2014)

The Watch - Tracks From The Alps

  Originally known as the Night Watch, this Italian prog band has always modeled itself after the early Genesis era albums.   Tons of mellotron, acoustic guitar interludes, complex vocal harmonies and amazing songs.  Lead singer Simone Rossetti is a Peter Gabriel vocal brother with a distinctly unique voice that suits the music to perfection.

 


      Tracks From The Alps does not break any new musical territory but does provide us with another brilliant album in the discography of The Watch well worth owning.  What they have done on this album is try to break away from the cold hard Genesis reincarnated model and reallly blend in a more modern prog feeling.  In many ways it is not unlike the transition Genesis did from Selling England to "A Trick Of The Tail".

Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal (1985)

Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal

  "Spleen and Ideal" is the second album released by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard and the dawn of a new era for DCD parting ways with their goth genre tendencies.   Perry and Gerrard introduce us on this album to the sound that would come to define their unique approach to music with imaginative cosmic and mystically atmospheric songs.

  DCD albums are to live for and require your commitment to listening i order to really grasp.  When i was a young kiddi boo boo i would never have listened to is music but I discovered this band in University and since have never looked back.   I have followed this band very closely and have all their albums just finally getting around to spinning this gem again.

  DCD are best known as a band that would incorporate rare and uncommmon instruments into their music (Brandon Perry is a huge instrument collector) blending Eastern and World music elements into their captivating mystic stylings.  Everything is left to your imagination and every DCD album is to die for and "Spleen and Ideal" is pure heavenly magic !