A batch of Cross Rhythms reviewers consider the merits of 25 mainstream albums
Continued from page 1
1989
Lenny
Kravitz
Let Love Rule
Virgin
Sounding for all
the world like it was recorded 20 years earlier, American rock star
Lenny Kravitz's 1989 debut album caught the attention of music lovers
the world over in an age of consumerist electronic pop and
introspective indie bands. Having experienced rejection from record
labels, Kravitz set about recording his breakthrough album in his own
inimitable style and, with his penchant for vintage instruments, valve
amps and analogue recording equipment, the end result was
simultaneously nostalgic and pioneering. Performing most of the
instrumental duties himself (with some virtuoso help from saxophonist
Karl Denson and Henry Hirsch on piano and Hammond), Kravitz cooks up a
veritable banquet of spontaneity and energy that kicks off with the
slow burning "Sitting On Top Of The World" before getting into the
groove with the anthemic title track. Only three tracks in,
proceedings turned into an impromptu jam session culminating in
"Freedom Train" - a funk fest of fuzz guitars and boxy drums
reminiscent of Sly And The Family Stone. And therein lies the secret
to Kravitz's success - never one to disguise his reliance on his
musical heroes, he all but name checks luminaries such as Prince in
the vocal delivery of "Let Love Rule", Hendrix in the guitar solo of
"Fear" and the Beatles in the idealistic "I Build This Garden For Us"
whilst references to Stevie Wonder, Lennon and others are reverently
scattered throughout. Claiming to be a born again Christian at the
time 'Let Love Rule' was recorded, there are plenty of unmistakable
references to faith ranging from a desolate and personal cry to his
Lord in "Be", the use of part of the Lord's prayer in "I Build This
Garden For Us" and, perhaps most notably, the almost evangelistic
"Rosemary" which encourages the eponymous girl to receive Christ in
order to get eternal life and relief from her mountainous problems.
Puzzlingly, given the clarity of this message, Kravitz muddies the
waters by including the F word in the otherwise great rant against
racism "Mr Cab Driver" but this perhaps reflects the singer's
self-confessed battles against worldliness - not least addictions to
sex and drugs - that seem to have raged throughout his life. Whilst
Kravitz has often been criticised for being cliché heavy, and it's
certainly true he doesn't always push the envelope lyrically ("it's
time to take a stand/brothers and sisters join hands" anyone?), the
sheer gusto and passion with which he executes his art make this album
as fresh today as the moment it was released.
Lins
Honeyman
1986
Metallica
Master Of Puppets
Elektra
Through my late teens
and early 20s there was a very simple answer to the question 'What is
your favourite album of all time'. I wanted to answer with a Christian
album but for pure epic metal brilliance nothing touched 'Master Of
Puppets'. After two sterling earlier releases the band had hit their
apex with number three - James Hetfield's vocals had never sounded
stronger, Kirk Hammett was now fully established as lead guitarist and
taking it to new levels, Cliff Burton had peaked at just the right
time (and sadly died not long after the recording) and Lars Ulrich is
their drummer. Right from the word go this album grabs you by the
proverbials with the pounding riffage of "Battery"; then it's onto the
title track, which remains the closest thing to hard music perfection
I think anyone is ever likely to hear. I could go on about every
single track with similar gusto as there's not a dud on the album,
"Sanitarium" (for example) is one of the finest thrash tunes ever
produced and "Orion" builds into an instrumental of incomparable
quality. Recently a book was published entitled The Day Metallica Came
To Church, the concept being that God can speak to us through
everything. Everything? Really? In my opinion I'd certainly say it's
true that the sacred/secular divide can often be unhelpful and that
God can speak through many art-forms that aren't branded as
'Christian' but does God speak through Glee, Dancing On Ice or the
Daily Star? Metallica do in fact have an interesting spiritual
journey: at the time of this album James Hetfield (the main
songwriter) was rejecting his Christian Science upbringing and was
seen (along with the rest of the band) embracing the rock and roll
lifestyle. "Leper Messiah" on this LP and "The God That Failed" on
their 1991 self-titled album both show faith in a negative light. But
as time went on he'd cleaned up his act and was found referencing
matters of belief in a much more positive light. Many believe he has
converted in much the same way as former Metallica guitarist Dave
Mustaine (best known as the brains behind Megadeth) has but ultimately
only James knows. All I know is that four very gifted musicians and
writers all peaked in the mid-'80s and left behind the nearest thing
to THE perfect heavy metal album.
Greg Sammons
1984
Frankie
Goes To Hollywood
Welcome To The Pleasuredome
ZTT
Pop music historians still argue about how much of
this album's monumental success was down to the catchy yet simple
compositions of singers Paul Rutherford and Holly Johnson; how much
was due to the groundbreaking hi-tech production work of Art Of
Noise/Buggles mastermind Trevor Horn; and how much was created by the
merciless hyper-promotion of one time music journalist Paul Morley. In
a BBC review Daryl Easlea wrote how the group "united the scally-side
of Liverpool with the city's arty, eyeliner wing - there was an
aesthete, a cuddly dancer and 'the lads'. The group's humour, ideas
and sexual deviance gave Horn and Morley more than enough raw material
to play with." In terms of production values 'Welcome To The
Pleasuredome' was truly a groundbreaking album with gargantuan drum
beats, deliciously funky bass lines and mammoth synthesizer blasts
while the title track was, if truth be told, a chunk of prog rock for
the '80s (and which even includes Steve Howe from Yes playing some
acoustic guitar on it). But despite all the sparkling studio dexterity
demonstrated by Horn the thing most people remember about Frankie Goes
To Hollywood is their forays into gay sex lyrics. Track 12 "Krisco
Kisses" is one of those but it was the chart-topping single "Relax"
which brought them notoriety and a mega hit. When I played "Relax" on
a Lyrics Of The Top 10 seminar at Greenbelt and had the temerity to
suggest that its salacious lyric ran contrary to the moral injunctions
of the Bible it brought down upon me the wrath of a couple of gay
members of the Greenbelt committee. 26 years on I still hold to the
conviction that such morally warped lyrics should have no place in the
record collections of believers seeking to live an authentic Christian
life.
Tony Cummings
1977
John Otway
and Wild Willy Barrett
John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett
Polydor
Otway and Barrett have always been spoken of
in that order which perhaps tells us something of their relationship.
Back in 1977 Wild Willy Barrett was an acclaimed folk and bluegrass
musician on the local circuit and John Otway was a dustman with a
dream. It's a long story and Otway's autobiography Cor Baby That's
Really Me is recommended reading. Somehow or other Otway persuaded
Barrett to provide the backing for his songs. Pete Townsend took an
interest and produced some tracks and local star Barron Anthony of The
Barron Knights lent a hand as well and as it was 1977 sheer enthusiasm
took them into the charts with "Cor Baby That's Really Free". Although
he does not have the strongest singing voice John Otway is not and has
never been a punk. On this album he comes across as an old romantic
several years before the New Romantics struck gold and Wild Willy can
play anything with strings. Once we learn to love Otway's vocal
failings or at least ignore them there is a great deal to admire on
this debut. Wild Willy's skills stand out and there is some
imaginative drumming going on behind. But the highlight is the
material. Otway can write a tune and put on a performance. So we have
the folk-punk of "Murder Man" and "Louisa On A Horse" (and "horse"
here somehow rhymes with "cross" as she rides past local landmark
Whiteleaf Cross), the rocking "Racing Cars" about Otway's chauffeur
Jet Spotter - Jeff Potter to his friends - complete with name-check
for rising Aylesbury face Magenta DeVine, the first hit "Really Free"
although in its original semi-acoustic form and the follow-up flop,
"Geneve", again in a different version to the Walt Disney Mix which
Wild Willy (by now livid) refused to have anything to do with when it
was released. "Geneve" is, in my book at least, one of the very finest
ballads of unrequited love and if ever it was covered by someone who
could do it justice would become a standard. But then that would not
be Otway. "Really Free" in its punk-rock form made the lower reaches
of the Top 30 in 1977 but it was not until 25 years later that Otway
once again troubled the chart compilers.
Steven
Whitehead
1974
The Beach
Boys
Endless Summer
Capitol
For those of us of
a certain age the timeless pop singles written by Brian Wilson and
sung by his band of brothers, friends and cousins have defined summer
- but it was not always thus. The pop single in the early 1960s was
disposable: here today, replaced by the next big thing tomorrow so by
1974 many of the 20 golden greats on this compilation had become
somewhat obscure. I do not know which marketing executive at Capitol
Records thought of issuing this double album but, boy, did he (or she)
hit pay-dirt. The colourful cover is, er, quaint and rather misleading
as it pictures the Boys in their hirsute glory of the mid 1970s not as
the fresh faced not long left off being teenaged boys who had somehow
conquered the recording studio, indeed the entire industry, and
changed the course of pop music. There are no liner notes to give us a
context and no information about what the Boys had been up to since
breaking away from Capitol Records (and could this repackaging of past
glories have been a spiteful spoiling tactic?). The running order is
chronological so we travel from "Surfin Safari" (May 1962) with its
primitive garage band feel to the glorious "Good Vibrations" (October
1966). Think about these dates for just one cotton-picking moment: in
four years Brian Wilson had gone from the bish-bash of "Surfin'
Safari" to a candidate for the greatest single ever recorded.
Actually, "Good Vibrations" does not belong on this collection, either
thematically or chronologically but, no doubt, its illustrious
presence helped to shift a few more units. Track 19 is "All Summer
Long", a wonderful teenage hymn to summer fun from 1964 which marked
Brian's last visit to the beach until "Do It Again" in 1968. In the
meantime he turned his attention to the perfect pop album with 'Pet
Sounds' before crashing and burning with 'Smile'. "Good Vibrations"
was written during the 'Pet Sounds' sessions but intended for 'Smile'
but there lies another story for a different review. The themes of
'Endless Summer' are surfing ("Catch A Wave"), girls ("California
Girls"), both together ("Surfer Girl"), cars ("Little Deuce Coupe")
and "Fun, Fun, Fun" all the way. Even when things go wrong (as in
"Girl Don't Tell Me") we have the feeling that they will kiss and make
up in the end. And yet there is a down side: "Don't Worry Baby" has an
achingly beautiful melody but it is about a fatal car race, "Let Him
Run Wild" sees our young hero going off the rails, and "In My Room"
hints at the emotional turmoil that Brian Wilson was experiencing even
at his creative zenith. But we should not use our hindsight to read
too much into what are three minute pop songs to be listened to on AM
radio. And yet. . . each is a gem that other composers would have
killed to have written; we have not even mentioned "I Get Around" and
"Help Me Rhonda". Truly, 'Endless Summer' contains 20 golden greats
(but that is a different collection). And yet, 'Endless Summer' was a
massive hit: number one in the US album chart where it remained for
five years - outselling by a distance all the new material that the
Beach Boys were producing and crushing the creativity of the Wilson
brothers. For most pop lovers The Beach Boys will remain the 'Endless
Summer' band: a great legacy and some timeless songs and yet there is
so much more to America's favourites.
Steven Whitehead
1972
Harold
Melvin & The Blue Notes
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Philadelphia International
It was stunning records
like this that led me to write a book about the Sound Of Philadelphia.
The Blue Notes had been on the periphery of the Philly scene for
years, starting off as old school doowoppers. But it was when they
allowed their drummer Teddy Pendergrass access to the lead vocal mic
that they finally had in place a line up that brilliant producers,
composers and founders of Philadelphia International Records Kenny
Gamble and Leon Huff were able to lead them to platinum selling
paydirt. In retrospect, the Blue Notes switching to Teddy's churchy
style of singing was just how another '50s doowop group, the Dells,
updated their sound for soul success when Marvin Junior took over lead
vocals. Like Marvin, Teddy's rasping, gasping, declamatory approach
came straight out of '50s gospel quartets and, set against some lush
harmonies and flamboyantly dramatic arrangements played with aplomb by
the MFSB session men, was a captivating sound. Several of the songs
here, like the eight and a half minute opener "I Miss You" and Morris
Bailey's "Ebony Woman", are good. But it's the solemn ballad "If You
Don't Know Me By Now" which shows Pendergrass, Gamble and Huff at
their absolute finest. Though the song was of course later to be given
a vastly inferior run through by the ridiculously overrated Simply
Red, this towering original fully deserves its million selling status.
On the song, Teddy, the ardent though wearied lover, tries one last
time to convince his woman that their life together has a future. Such
passionate melodrama is at the heart of real soul music and this is as
soulful, and moving, as soul gets. Sadly, Teddy's solo career took him
into male sex symbol territory before a terrible accident all but
ended his career. The fact that the last thing he recorded was "O
Happy Day" for the 'Songs 4 Worship: Soul' project leaves us hoping
that the soul star came to faith in the God who gave him such
exceptional vocal abilities.
Tony Cummings
1971
Beach
Boys
Surf's Up
Capitol
In the unlikely event
of you hearing the music without being told the identity of the artist
I think you may struggle to guess that this is indeed the Beach Boys,
who, in 1971, were contemplating dropping the "Boys" part of the name
to show that they had grown up. Part of the masterplan put in place by
new manager Jack Rieley was to record an album on environmental issues
to be called 'Landlocked'. Thus we open with "Don't Go Near The Water"
that bubbles along quite merrily with a cheerful tune that is at odds
with the sombre if somewhat portentous lyrics about ecological
aftermaths. Note the use of a new-fangled Moog synthesiser played as
an instrument in its own right rather than as a surrogate string
section. Next up is one of Carl Wilson's finest moments both as singer
and songwriter: "Long Promised Road". This is a genuine AOR pop rocker
with a short and very sweet guitar solo that is a million miles from
the Dick Dale style surf twang of the 1960s Beach Boy sound. Next is a
whimsical piece of nonsense by Al Jardine: "Take A Load Off Your Feet"
which is surely the best ever ode to podiatry. Brian and Dennis Wilson
are conspicuous by their absence. Brian's touring stand-in, Bruce
Johnston gives us song number four and, in the process, provided
himself with his own pension fund: "Disney Girls" is a nostalgic look
back at a California that was already just a memory and also a lovely
melody that has been much covered. Side One closes with Mike Love's
re-working of Leiber & Stoller's "Riot In Cell Block Nine" with
new lyrics to reflect the anti Vietnam War riot at Kent State
University the previous year: "Student Demonstration Time". It rocks
along with sirens screaming and Love's voice processed to sound like a
police bullhorn. It must have sounded very right-on and hip in 1971
but today is just an historical curiosity. Side Two continues the
collection of solo songs with a mystical Carl giving us "Feel Flows"
that is beautiful but incomprehensible, Alan offers us a folk-tinged
"Welfare Song (Looking At Tomorrow)" and then Brian finally shows his
hand. Or does he? Brian Wilson is a complex individual with his own
sense of humour. His first song is the quirky "Day In The Life Of A
Tree" that is intoned by manager Rieley. Personally I think the song
would have been perfect for Dennis; Rieley says he was told he was
just laying down a guide vocal and was surprised when Brian told him
it was to be issued and, as ever with the Brian, there is a perfect
tune in there and the coda busts into life like a tree budding in
spring. And then we get what could be the most beautiful suicide note
ever written: "'Til I Die". As a glimpse into the writer's mind it
shows a deeply troubled man who, despite his problems, can still write
achingly beautiful music. And then we reach the title track. It was a
record company executive who suggested raiding the archives and
attaching the unreleased 'Smile' song "Surf's Up" to the new release.
It just so happens that said executive was none other than the
lyricist Van Dyke Parks. He got his way, in spite of Brian's horrified
reaction, and the album duly went on to sell sufficient copies to
chart on both sides of the Atlantic. "Surf's Up" the song is a
beautiful, shimmering thing of wonder and Van Dyke's lyrics are
perfect even if they are perfectly incomprehensible. Shoe-horning
another 'Smile' song, "Child Is Father To The Man" as a coda makes
musical sense even if it reduces two potential classics into one. But
does "Surf's Up" the song belong on 'Surf's Up' the album? Not really
but without it the proposed 'Landlocked' would have sunk without trace
and that would have been a shame as there is much to enjoy here. Even
in their decline the Beach Boys were always worth hearing.
Steven Whitehead
1970
The Main
Ingredient
Tasteful Soul
RCA
For a brief
period this trio of New York harmonisers made some of the greatest
sweet soul records around and in Donald McPherson had one of the best,
and most underrated, lead singers of all time. Their hits included
"You've Been My Inspiration", a cover of the Impressions' "I'm So
Proud" and "Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling In Love)". With
producer Bert DeCoteaux enveloping Donald's achingly expressive tenor
in rich orchestral arrangements every bit as good as the dramatic
studio concoctions Thom Bell put together for a host of Philadelphia
acts, and an unerring ability to choose top rate songs. The Main
Ingredient were a fine group. For my money, the best song of all on
'Tasteful Soul' is "Look At Me", a gem of a David Gates composition
originally recorded by Gates' Bread group. With a plaintive
arrangement from DeCoteaux featuring haunting woodwind, McPherson
brings out all the reflective sadness of the lyrics ("Look at me I'm
fading into the floor/And wonder if I'm living anymore"). In view of
the song's gloomy reflection of man's mortality it was particularly
poignant that in less than a year of the song being recorded, Donald
McPherson should be dead, after contracting leukaemia. The stunned
group brought in a new lead singer, Cuba Gooding (father of the well
known actor who starred in such movies as The Fighting Temptations),
and enjoyed a string of new hits. But it was the McPherson-led group
who made the biggest impact on this reviewer.
Tony
Cummings
1970
John
Lennon
Plastic Ono Band
Apple/EMI
John
Lennon's first release following the break-up of the Beatles proved to
be in stark contrast to his previous work within the confines of his
old band. Gone were the multicolour aural landscapes and poetic
licence of "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds" and "I Am The Walrus" only to be replaced by stripped-bare
instrumentation and some bitingly honest lyricism that would provide
the template for much of Lennon's subsequent solo work. This eponymous
album features Lennon alternately on piano and distorted guitar duties
accompanied by Ringo Starr and Klaus Voorman (drums and bass
respectively) and was released in 1970 after Lennon and his wife Yoko
Ono undertook primal therapy, the controversial treatment developed by
American psychotherapist Dr Arthur Janov which argued that childhood
traumas can be eliminated by re-experiencing the incidents in question
and fully expressing the pain - most famously by screaming - in the
here and now. In Lennon's case, his childhood demons revolved around
the death of his mother at the hands of a drunk driver, his father's
absenteeism and the rejection and isolation brought on by both
factors. Having found the courage to confront his sufferings through
Janov's treatment, the songwriter decided to do what came naturally
and expressed his pent-up emotion, anger and hurt through his music.
In fact, Lennon wastes no time in getting down to business with the
opener "Mother" which sees him candidly vent the pain suffered due to
the loss of his parents before repeatedly screaming out with increased
ferocity the refrain of "Mama don't go/Daddy come back" which, to this
day, remains one of the most severe and affecting expressions of
emotional pain in musical history. Elsewhere, a range of feelings and
subjects are tackled with the placid "Hold On" expressing hope and
"Isolation" conveying the singer's vulnerability whilst the ruthless
"I Found Out" contains an outpouring of ire that made previous
opinionated statements such as "Revolution" sound like lullabies.
Denouncing belief in the likes of Christ and Krishna, Lennon uses "I
Found Out" to hint that faith in one's self is the only plausible
solution to life's problems. This train of thought is carried forward
in "God" which sees Lennon confidently claim that God is only a
figment of the imagination before systematically rejecting belief in
anything except himself and Yoko. Elsewhere, the somewhat contrived
social comment of "Working Class Hero" - which includes some
unnecessary expletives - and the chilling closing snippet "My Mummy's
Dead" add fuel to the fire of this relentless hotbed of candour.
Whilst, like its creator, this release has more than its fair share of
angst, anger and arrogance, there are also some memorably tender
moments that show Lennon's less caustic side. For instance, the
beautifully understated "Love" - complete with a timeless contribution
from legendary producer Phil Spector on piano - continues the
over-riding theme of Lennon's past work whilst the acoustic "Look At
Me" sees Lennon gently turning to his lover for answers as to the
purpose of his existence. To this day, this collection of demo-like
songs remains fresh, occasionally shocking and always sincere and,
whilst as a Christian there is very little to agree with in terms of
its opinions, one has to step back and admire the risk that Lennon
took in choosing to release such an divulging and exposed piece of
work to launch his solo career.
Lins Honeyman
1961
Slim
Harpo
Raining In My Heart
Excello
This was
one of the first albums I ever bought. It had a terribly inept sleeve
design, the title track is a cod Louisiana ballad which remains as
excruciating today as it was in 1961; and bluesman Slim Harpo has a
strange singing-through-the-nose style even more irritating than
Dylan. Yet despite these defects, the best cuts on this set are as
brilliant as when they were recorded back in the '50s. Pride of place
here goes to the two songs which were Slim's first single release in
1957 "I'm A King Bee" and "I Got Love If You Want It". Despite these
blues gems being mauled by all manner of lesser talents during
Britain's beat group era, no one got close to reproducing Slim's
hypnotic droning vocals and the delicious drive by a bunch of choice
sidemen put together by producer/record label owner Jay Miller in his
Crowley, Louisiana studio. Although Slim blew a bit of harmonica
himself it was the talents of mouth harp virtuoso Lazy Lester which
added true greatness to Harpo's sound and tracks like "Blues Hangover"
and "Moody Blues" (yep, the British band copped the name) are
magnificent. Later in his career Slim was to hit with more singles
like "Baby Scratch My Back" and "Shake Your Hips". But it's these
early recordings which connected the most with me.
Tony
Cummings
1959
The
Moonglows
Look It's The Moonglows
Chess
Secular music history has a habit of writing the Church out of its
accounts on how different styles came into being. Jazz is supposed to
have begun in the brothels of New Orleans rather than the improvised
worship of the 19th century rural church. Similarly, doowop supposedly
emerged fully formed onto urban America's street corners and subways.
In fact, the cool vocal harmony sounds of doowop are directly
descended from the pre-war jubilee gospel groups and there are
hundreds of jubilee recordings made in the '30s featuring wurpaburbing
bass singers and high, mellifluous lead singers. But leaving aside
such things, no one can argue that in the '50s doowop was there, along
with the emergent rock'n'roll as a compelling sound vying for the
attention of teenage audiences both black and white. It was in the
early '50s that doowop existed at its quintessentially best and the
Moonglows, out of Cleveland, were right up there with the top
harmonisers warbling their eerily solemn tales of teenage love. This
compilation captures many of their best moments with lead singer Bobby
Lester showing what a master of phrasing he was when he transformed an
old Tin Pan Alley ditty "Penny Arcade" into something special while
the Moonglows' version of the old ballad "Blue Velvet" is definitive
and far outstripped the later version by Bobby Vinton. But the stone
classic of this set is "The Ten Commandments Of Love", a hit in 1958
originally credited Harvey & The Moonglows. Harvey was, of course,
Harvey Fuqua, who was later to marry into the Berry Gordy dynasty and
becoming a hit songwriter and producer for Motown Records. Here he
demonstrates doowop's religious origins by re-writing the set of
Commandments Moses received in favour of romantic and sentimental
platitudes ("Thou Shalt never love another", "Go through life wearing
a smile"). Some may wince at the cod-religious atmosphere complete
with bass voice recitation. But with Harvey's marvellous mellifluous
lead and droning backup from the guys it remains a doowop classic.
Tony Cummings