MIss Sloane on BLU RAY - A Review of the 2017 Film starring Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Michael Stuhlbarg and Sam Waterson - A Review by Mark Barry...

Fantastic Film with a Huge And Varied Cast 

Working With Ballsy and Clever Writing...

Who doesn't love a whodunit and especially one with brains built in and a ballsy leading lady gouging your viewer eyeballs out every time she’s on screen?

After many crafty plot twists about devious and dubious lobbying techniques puppet-handled by unaccountable power and the self-serving righteous vermin behind guns – the movie ends up in a courtroom with a conscious choice for our sought-after piece-of-work fixer Elizabeth Sloane - you either fight the beast or you sell your soul (like you may have done in the past) and capitulate to it.

All of this lofty yet highly entertaining subject matter is expertly handled by a long line of quality lead actors and actresses including Michael Stuhlbarg (the scientist in "The Shape Of Water" and Edward G. Robinson in "Trumbo"), John Lithgow (Winston Churchill in "The Crown"), Sam Waterson (boss Charlie Skinner in Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom"), Mark Strong and stunning ladies like Jessica Chastain, Alison Pill and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (all with too many great films to mention).

I thought "Miss Sloane" was brilliant – bristling with fabulous talent and actors drawn to the piece no doubt by seriously great writing from Jonathan Perera. As the cold hand of evil behind all that is calibre ammunition, lucrative velocities and even the right to bear arms - for sure some of the hijinks towards the finale may reek of a 'too clever clever' plot device for its own clogs. But by that time you're enjoying it all so much, it's a miniscule niggle in a very big and tasty pot of political gumbo. This is a script that makes you think, that informs and appalls spent bullet by spent bullet and yet still manages to shed light on the deliberately murky world of gun procurement, their easy-peasy sale and the devastating outcome of their encouraged use. And that's to be applauded.

My only feeling is that the movie "Miss Sloane" and its finely cut edges might have denied it credibility at the time of release precisely because it was so damn entertaining, thereby blocking what I feel would and should have been thoroughly deserved Oscar nominations. The Academy makes another mistake (won't be the first time folks).

In the meantime check out this sleeper on BLU RAY that so many seem to have missed. And to Director John Madden - well done sir, and more please right soon…

"Love Changes: The Anthology 1972-1983" by MOTHER'S FINEST (March 2017 SoulMusic Records 2CD Reissue - Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...You Move Me..."

Across two jam-packed CDs in this stunning 2017 Remastered anthology (both nearing the 80-minute mark) - SoulMusic Records of the UK (part of Cherry Red's bank of reissue labels) sure pack a whole lot of bang for your buck.

Ohio's Soul-Rock-Funk band MOTHER'S FINEST were always something of a cult in the UK even when they charted four albums in the lower regions of the American Billboard Rock LP charts (three on Epic and one on Atlantic between 1976 and 1981) and three on the US R&B charts (two on Epic and one on Capitol between 1976 and 1984). They also had 45s as far back as 1972 on RCA Victor and that's where this huge audio haul comes blazing in. There are loads of stand-alone single edits, selections from six albums (five studio and one live), a further rare seventh only LP issued in Europe in its entirety and even six (then unreleased) from a long-deleted 2CD American compilation first issued in 2010. Wow! Here are the love changing details...

UK released 3 March 2017 (10 March 2017 in the USA) - "Love Changes - The Anthology 1972-1983" by MOTHER'S FINEST on SoulMusic Records SMCR 5151D (Barcode 5013929085138) offers 37-Tracks Remastered across 2CDs and plays out as follows:

CD1 "Give You All The Love (Inside Of Me)" (78:24 minutes):

1. You Move Me

2. Dear Sir And Brother Mann

3. Monster People

4. Bone Song

5. Living Hero

6. Middle Of The Night

7. Funky Mountain

8. Run Joe

9. Fire (Single Edit)

10. Dontcha Wanna Love Me

11. Rain (Single Edit)

12. My Baby

13. Give You All The Love (Inside Of Me)

14. Baby Love (Single Edit)

15. Thank You For The Love (Single Edit)

16. Dis Go Dis Way, Dat Go Dat Way

17. Mickey's Monkey

Tracks 1 and 2 are on their debut album "Mother's Finest" released November 1972 in the USA on RCA Victor LSP-4790

Tracks 1 and 2 were also the A&B-sides of their February 1973 debut US 7" single on RCA 74-0889

Tracks 3 to 8 first issued on the 2010 "Mother's Finest" USA 2CD set on Wounded Bird WOU-4790

Tracks 9 and 10 are the A&B-sides of an August 1976 US 7" single on Epic 8-50269

Tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B-sides of a 1976 US 7" single on Epic 8-50310

Track 14 is the A-side of a September 1977 US 7" single on Epic 8-50407, B-side was "Hard Rock Lover", see Track 1 CD2

Track 15 is the A-side of a November 1977 US 7" single on Epic 8-50483, B-side was "Piece Of The Rock", see Track 2 CD2

Tracks 9, 10, 11 and 12 are on their second album "Mother's Finest" USA released November 1976 on Epic PE 34179 (peaked at No. 148 Billboard Albums Charts)

Tracks 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 are on their third album "Another Mother Further" USA released September 1977 on Epic PE 34699 (peaked at No. 134 on the Billboard Album charts)

CD2 "Take Me To The Middle (of Your Luv)" (79:07 minutes):

1. Hard Rock Lover (Single Edit)

2. Piece Of The Rock (Single Edit)

3. Truth'll Set You Free

4. Don't Wanna Come Back

5. Love Changes (Single Edit)

6. Can't Fight The Feeling

7. Watch My Stylin'

8. Somebody To Love (Live)

9. U Turn Me On

10. Evolution

11. Secret Service

12. What Kind Of Fool

13. Victory

14. Love Me Too

15. Everybody Needs Somebody

16. Big Shot Romeo

17. What You Do To Me

18. In My Baby's Arms

19. Some Kind Of Madness

20. Take Me To The Middle (Of Your Luv)

Track 1 is the B-side to "Baby Love" (A-side is Track 14, CD1), a September 1977 US 7" single on Epic 8-50407

Track 2 is the B-side to "Thank You For Your Love" (A-side is Track 15, CD1), a November 1977 US 7" single on Epic 8-50483

Track 3 is the B-side to "Don't Wanna Come Back" (A-side is Track 4, CD2), an August 1978 US 7" single on Epic 8-50596 and a November 1978 B-side to "Love Changes..." on Epic 8-50641

Tracks 1 to 3 (longer versions in the case of 1 and 2) are also on their third album "Another Mother Further" USA released September 1977 on Epic PE 34699 (peaked at No. 134 on the Billboard Album charts)

Track 4 is the A-side to an August 1978 US 7" single on Epic 8-50596 (B-side is Track 3, CD2)

Track 5 is the A-side to a November 1978 US 7" single on Epic 8-50641 (B-side is Track 3, CD2)

Track 6 is the A-side to a March 1979 US 7" single on Epic 8-50679 (B-side is "More And More" - not on this release)

Track 7 is the studio B-side to an October 1979 US 7" single on Epic 9-50784 (A-side is Track 8, CD2)

Track 8 is the live A-side to an October 1979 US 7" single on Epic 9-50784 (B-side is Track 7, CD2)

Tracks 4, 5, 6 and 7 are on their fourth album "Mother Factor" released in the USA September 1978 on Epic Je 35546

Track 8 is from their fifth album "Mother's Finest Live" released in the USA in November 1979 on Epic Je 35976

Tracks 9 and 10 are from their sixth album "Iron Age" released in the USA May 1981 on Atlantic SD 19302

Tracks 11 to 20 are their entire album "One Mother To Another" released in the Netherlands in 1983 on Epic EPC 25363

The 20-page booklet features a lot of discography info as well as new liner notes from A. SCOTT GALLOWAY with input from members of the band. The six albums are pictured along with wads of those US 45s on Epic as well as some rare picture sleeves. With much of it getting a first time digital dust-down, long-time Ace Records Audio Engineer – the hugely experienced NICK ROBBINS, has done the Remaster. Throughout the Audio is superb – kicking and full of life.

Originally formed in 1970 and eventually becoming a six-piece multi-cultural band - the first unadorned single offered here is a bit of a torch-ballad gem when they started out as a straight-up Chi-Lites type R&B outfit – Joyce Kennedy’s incredibly expressive croaky vocals slaying everything in its path on the fantastic "You Move Me" - aided and abetted by a funky flipside in "Dear Sir And Brother Mann" – both impressive originals. The unreleased tracks (3 to 8) unearthed by Wounded Bird USA on their self-titled 2CD compilation in 2010 feel like Sly & The Family Stone has had a baby with Funkadelic and Labelle – guitar-wild bass-infused keyboard-boogieing (all of them are shockingly good).

But for many it will be the almost Montrose Rock riffage of "Fire" that they will remember the band for, where they hit on that Soul-Rock almost Metal thing they did so incredibly well. The wicked fretwork of Atlanta axeman Moses 'Mo' is hair-raisingly good - a sort of Jeff Beck meets Prince meets Edgar Winter kind of mojo (he would later join the 1985 band Illusion). The hard funk continues with "Rain" and again back to Zeppelinesque power-chords for "My Baby" – another truly great Soul-Rock dancefloor filler that used to have customers in Reckless Records London race to the counter screaming, "Who is this man!”

This 2CD overhaul also wisely includes the full seven and half minutes of the album cut "Give You All The Love Inside Of Me” from 1978 because it showcases the band in all its multiple-genre glory - stunning Funk-Rock meets Soul meets sexy Seventies R&B – the kind of tour de force that will have you asking why you haven't had these wild cats in your home for the last 40 years. And on it goes...

A fab little twofer then and a band that deserved so much more than their cult status – they really did. If you like your Soul and Funk with a bit of Prince-like Rock-guitar pyrotechnics – then this fabulous little sucker is the bad boy for you. And well done to all at SoulMusic Records for presenting it so damn well…

"Tapestry" by CAROLE KING featuring James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Danny Kotchmar (June 2008 UK Epic/Legacy 2CD 'Legacy Edition' Reissue and Remaster by Vic Anesini) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Of Rich And Royal Hue…"

I can vividly remember a girlfriend I had in the early Seventies in her faded jeans, cheesecloth smock and fabulous crimped long hair. She was far too pretty for me to be with - looking like one of those dream babes in Cameron Crowe's Seventies homage movie "Almost Famous" - the ones that inspire songs and poetry and a serious amount of effort in the 'trying-to-impress-with-how-witty-I-am' department. But I also remember her baggage as she walked towards me that sunny summer afternoon - clutching not a satchel full of hairbrushes and makeup - nor a copy of Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings" (how odd) - but her used vinyl copy of Carole King's "Tapestry" album on A&M/Ode Records. She was clutching it tightly under her right arm so that it didn't fall from her grasp onto the unforgiving Dublin pavement below - protecting the LP like it was girly life itself. And smiling as she got closer - I kind of knew that its presence under her arm had a purpose - this nice but slightly dim guitar-mad Irish boy would need to be educated on something other than Deep Purple and Black Sabbath...

15 weeks at Number 1 when it was released in 1971, Rolling Stone's coveted album of the year award, four Grammy nominations, selected by the American Library of Congress for placing in The National Recording Registry and 20 gazillion sales ever since. And that's not to mention in the 11's an entire Broadway Musical based around it that regularly brings audiences to their feet with tears streaming down their cheeks (the Tony winning show "Beautiful") - it doesn't get much more iconic than Carole King's mighty "Tapestry" album. And I'm thrilled to say that this 2008 2CD "Legacy Edition" does that singer-songwriter milestone an audio solid. Here are the bare feet and the cat in the windowsill details...

Released June 2008 - "Tapestry" by CAROLE KING on Ode/Epic/Legacy 88697 11455 2 (Barcode 886971145526) is a 2CD 'Legacy Edition' Reissue and Remaster that breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (44:37 minutes):

1. I Feel The Earth Move [Side 1]

2. So far Away

3. It's Too Late

4. Home Again

5. Beautiful

6. Way Over Yonder [Side 2]

7. You've Got A Friend

8. Where You Lead

9. Will You Love Me Tomorrow?

10. Smackwater Jack

11. Tapestry

12. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "Tapestry" - released February 1971 in the USA on Ode/A&M Records SP-77009 and in the UK on Ode/A&M Records AMLS 2025

Disc 2 (38:19 minutes):

1. I Feel The Earth Move

2. So Far Away

3. It's Too Late

4. Home Again

5. Beautiful

6. Way Over Yonder

7. You've Got A Friend

8. Will You Love Me Tomorrow?

9. Smackwater jack

10. Tapestry

11. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

Tracks 1 to 11 are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED live versions featuring Carole just on a piano - they were recorded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1973, Columbia Maryland, Central Park in New York and in the San Francisco Opera House in 1976 (no dates nor other details given).

In a rather nigglesome but understandable move - the Side 1 and Side 2 LP labels repro'd under the see-through plastic CD trays on either side of the digipak are for Epic PE 34946 - the 1977 Epic/Ode Records reissue version (when Columbia took over its distribution). They should be for the 1971 Ode/A&M SP-77009 original. The 22-page colour booklet is pretty, reproducing the text and lyrics to every song in the same typography as the album artwork. There's a repro of "The Hollywood Reporter" from 15 March 1972 when she swept the Grammy boards (along with a snap of her clutching the same), period photos of Carole with Engineer HANK CICALO and Producer LOU ADLER, backing musicians JONI MITCHELL and JAMES TAYLOR - as well as her band - DANNY "Kootch" KOTCHMAR (Guitars), RUSS KUNKEL (Drums), CHARLES LARKEY (Bass) and RALPH SCHUKETT (Keyboards). There's short but informative liner notes on the album and its legacy by HARVEY KUBERNIK - a well known contributor to Rolling Stone and author of two books on Rock Music.

But the big news is a new BOB IRWIN and VIC ANESINI remaster which to my ears has given the notoriously low-fi album a beautiful fulsome polish - her voice and the instruments are lovely - warm and clear. Not to be outdone - my heart sank when I saw that Disc 2 was filled with 'live' versions - but as they're just her and a piano - they're beautifully intimate ("Way Over Yonder" in particular is gorgeous and features a storming vocal). Her voice cracks on a few and she hits a few bum notes here and there (probably why they've been in the can up until now) but most are well worthy of inclusion.

Even as the opening keys of "I Feel The Earth Moves" hit you - you're tingling. Once into "So Far Away" and "It's Too Late" - resistance is pretty much futile. James Taylor's acoustic guitar on the gorgeous "Home Again" is so subtle yet underlies the whole song as it aches its way into your heart. And those Sixties classics done by someone else now get their owner's touch - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" and the sublime "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". And the title track never ceases to move me (lyrics above).

Uplifting, life affirming, nourishment for the soul - its all on "Tapestry". And now that touchstone in all our lives is better....

"One To One/Speeding Time" by CAROLE KING - Albums from 1982 and 1983 (October 2018 Beat Goes On (BGO) CD Reissue - Andrew Thompson Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Colourless Eyes..."

The supposed comeback "One To One" was Carole King's first album having newly signed to the much-revered and highly prestigious Atlantic Records. But released Stateside in March 1982 - it peaked at No. 119 with a chart run of only eleven weeks.

Produced by her old mucker and pal Lou Adler of Ode Records and the "Tapestry" days - the follow-up "Speeding Time" LP from 1983 fared worse. Released in the US on Atlantic in December - it didn't chart and wasn't given a UK or even Euro release of any note. It did have a US CD variant (early days for the format) but that disappeared without trace pretty quickly. Historically the "One To One" album has had a poor-sounding Wounded Bird CD Reissue in 2005 but that's been it for either record for nearly four decades. And that's where this twofer comes in…

England's Beat Goes On (BGO Records) has clumped the two together, given them a revealing audio dust off and topping off the double cherry clump with excellent presentation. Now if only the music was worth it - here are the details...

UK released 20 October 2018 (26 Oct 2018 in the USA) - "One To One/Speeding Time" by CAROLE KING on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1362 (Barcode 5017261213624) offers both LPs Remastered onto 1 CD and plays out as follows (72:14 minutes).

1. One To One [Side 1]

2. It's A War

3. Lookin' Out For Number One

4. Life Without Love

5. Golden Man

6. Read Between The Lines [Side 2]

7. (Love Is Like A) Boomerang

8. Goat Annie

9. Someone You Never Met Before

10. Little Prince

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "One To One" - released March 1982 in the USA on Atlantic SD 19344 and in the UK on Atlantic K 50880

11. Computer Eyes [Side 1]

12. One Small Voice

13. Crying In The Rain

14. Sacred Heart Of Stone

15. Speeding Time

16. Standin' On The Borderline [Side 2]

17. So Ready For Love

18. Chalice Borealis

19. Dancing

20. Alabaster Lady

Tracks 11 to 20 are the album "Speeding Time" - released December 1983 in the USA on LP (Atlantic 7-80118-1) and CD (Atlantic 7-80118-2) - no UK release

The 24-page booklet inside a lovely card slipcase reproduces those original LP inner sleeve details - musician credits, photos, lyrics for both albums etc - and there's a new appraisal of these much-maligned albums from JOHN TOBLER. An overly slick Production and weak songs did for "One To One" and even though she went back to a basic five-piece band format that she'd used for all those classic Seventies albums for the "Speeding Time" project (Russ Kunkel, Lee Ritenour and so on) - again the tunes and her voice both sounded like they were reaching all the time for an elusive melody and mostly not getting there.

The AUDIO is the big prize here (new ANDREW THOMPSON Remasters) - better songs like "Golden Man" with Reese Wynans on the Fender Rhodes now sounding great - while that slide guitar of Robbie McEntee on "Goat Annie" is now lifted up out of the mix. Unfortunately it accentuates other stuff - that horrible keyboard plinking sound of the early Eighties inflicts "One Small Voice" and the same for "Sacred Heart Of Stone" - but then elevates the ambitious "Dancing" into a sort of sub Hall & Oates mini operatic bop-fest. The punchy keys and gravel vocals of "Alabaster Lady" at least end a patchy second platter on a sweet note.

The problem with both of these albums is the distinct lack of tunes, their dreadfully dated production and even her voice that sounds somehow drowned in all that professionally slick musicianship that sounds the part but essentially feels soulless.

For sure this is two and three-star material given a five-star reissue – finally bolstered up with great audio and decent presentation. Fans should dive in, but all others should grab a listen first before thinking these records might reflect the glories of old…