“Raw Silk / Now We May Begin” by RANDY CRAWFORD (with THE CRUSADERS) – A Review Of Her 1979 and 1980 Warner Brothers Albums - Now Reissued And Remastered Onto 2CDs By Edsel Of The UK In 2013…

This review is part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Tender Falls The Night…" – Raw Silk and Now We May Begin by RANDY CRAWFORD (featuring THE CRUSADERS)

When I worked for Reckless Records in Berwick Street in Central London – Randy Crawford albums were pretty much a no-no – they had little value – and few wanted them. But in the last decade or so - as Soul Boys of all colours have started to look back to those heady days of the late Seventies and early Eighties – albums by artists like Patrice Rushen and Candi Staton are getting revaluated all the time. Fans are veering away from the obvious hits and seeking out those tunes hidden in the grooves (both funk and ballad) - and Randy Crawford’s Warner Brothers output is the same.

For years her albums have languished unloved by digital reissue companies – well comes Edsel of the UK doing the job with real class and style. Here are the velveteen details For Edsel EDSK 7042 (released October 2013)…

Disc 1 (45:27 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 11 are her 3^rd solo album “Raw Silk” – released June 1979 on Warner Brothers BSK 3283 in the USA and on Warner Brothers K 56592 in the UK.

It peaked at 63 on the US R&B charts (not in the UK) and was reissued in May 1982 in the UK after the success of the “Secret Combination” album

Disc 2 (37:02 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 8 are her 4^th solo “Now We May Begin” – released May 1980 on Warner Brothers BSK 3421 in the USA and on Warner Brothers K 56791 in the UK. It peaked at 30 in the American R&B charts and became her first charted LP in the UK at Number 10.

The outer card wrap gives the whole reissue a quality feel – as does the 20-page booklet which pictures the albums, publicity photos, track by track recording info and exceptionally detailed liner notes by Soul Expert and long-time Edsel Associate TONY ROUNCE.

The remasters by PHIL KINRADE at Alchemy are exceptionally good – but then the original production values of Stephen Goldman for “Raw Silk” and The Crusaders for “Now We May Begin” were top notch anyway – uber high class and soulful. Superlative musicians abound - Leon Pendarvis and Don Grusin on Keyboards, Abraham Laboriel and Will Lee on Bass, John Tropea and Greg Poree on Guitars with Rick Marotta and Joe Pocarro on Drums and Percussion…and the fabulous Crusaders (Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper) adding their stardust to all of “Now We May Begin”.

The Sound is gorgeous on both albums – giving the quieter tracks off “Raw Silk” like the beautiful cover of the Bert Williams Traditional “Nobody” and Allen Toussaint’s “Declaration Of Love” a clarity they never had before. It’s a patchy album for me – but having said that I’d forgotten how good her re-working of Marvin Gaye’s acidic love song is – “Just To Keep You Satisfied” – a top rediscovery.

Things went stellar with “Now We May Begin” because The Crusaders came on board after she guested on the huge “Street Life” track in 1979. In fact Warners pumped out no less than 5 of its 8 album cuts as singles (As & Bs) – and most charted too – “One Day I’ll Fly Away” becoming almost signature for her. But what I wanted this reissue for is the 7 Joe Sample/Will Jennings songs – the stunning strings and Dean Parks’ guitar slink of “Now We May Begin” – love it – love it (definitely a forgotten groove and nugget). But despite all that famous band overshadowing – the one song on here that always got me is her own lone composition “Tender Falls The Rain” which ended up being B-side material for three releases. It’s gorgeous Soul (lyrics from it title this review).  

She would go on to real album brilliance with “Secret Combination” – but here is where her success story really started. A sweet lady – take a punt on this classy reissue…

"John B. Sebastian/The Four Of Us/Tarzana Kid/Welcome Back/BBC In Concert 1970 DVD" by JOHN SEBASTIAN (2014 Edsel 2CD/1DVD Reissue & Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry…

UK released February 2014 - "John B. Sebastian/The Four Of Us/Tarzana Kid/Welcome Back and BBC IN Concert DVD" by JOHN SEBASTIAN on Edsel EDSG 8039 (Barcode 740155803933) - this 2CD/1DVD triple features the four Reprise albums John Sebastian made after he left The Lovin' Spoonful in 1968. It also sports a Previously Unreleased Concert recorded for England’s BBC "In Concert" TV Program (broadcast 16 October 1970) that is approved by the artist himself and making its DVD debut here. Here is a stacked-up spoonful of loving details...

Disc 1 (75:57 minutes):

1. Red-Eye Express

2. She’s A Lady

3. What She Thinks About

4. Magical Connection

5. You’re A Big Boy Now

6. Rainbows All Over Your Blues

7. How Have You Been

8. Baby, Don’t Ya Get Crazy

9. The Room Nobody Lives In

10. Fa-fana-fa

11. I Had A Dream

Tracks 1 to 11 are his debut solo LP "John B. Sebastian" - release January 1970 in the USA on Reprise RS 6379 and April 1970 in the UK on Reprise RSLP 6379

12. Well Well Well

13. Black Snake Blues

14. I Don’t Want Nobody Else

15. Apple Hill

16. Black Satin Kid

17. We’ll See

18. Sweet Muse

19. The Four Of Us

Tracks 12 to 19 are his 2nd studio album "The Four Of Us" - released in the USA August 1971 on Reprise RS 2041 and Reprise K 44149 in the UK

Tracks 20 and 21 are "Give Us A Break" and "Music For People Who Don't Speak English" - released February 1972 - they are the non-album A&B sides of a USA 7" single on Reprise 1074

Disc 2 (63:25 minutes):

1. Sitting In Limbo

2. Friends Again

3. Dixie Chicken

4. Stories We Could Tell

5. Face Of Appalachia

6. Wild Wood Flower

7. Wild About My Lovin’

8. Singing The Blues

9. Sportin’ Life

10. Harpoon

Tracks 1 to 10 are his 3rd studio album "Tarzana Kid" - released in the USA September 1974 on Reprise MS 2187 and November 1974 in the UK on Bearsville K 54028

11. Hideaway

12. She’s Funny

13. You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine

14. Didn’t Wanna Have To Do It

15. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

16. Welcome Back

17. I Needed Her Most When I Told Her To Go

18. A Song A Day In Nashville

19. Warm Baby

20. Let This Be Our Time To Get Along

Tracks 11 to 20 are his 4th studio album "Welcome Back" - released in the USA April 1976 on Reprise MS 2249 and Reprise K 54074 in the UK

DVD “In Concert: John Sebastian Sings John Sebastian”

1. Lovin’ You

2. You’re A Big Boy Now

3. She’s A Lady

4. Rain On The Roof

5. Daydream

6. Jug Band Music

7. Goin’ To German

8. Nashville Cats

9. Improvisation On Harmonica

10. Darling Be Home Soon

The presentation on this reissue is top-notch - a four-way foldout digipak with a chunky 36-page booklet featuring recording details, lyrics, photos, an essay on his career by noted writer PAUL MYERS, pictures of the original album labels and even personal photos supplied by Catherine Sebastian. PHIL RYNSTON at Tall Order has done the mastering and the sound is uniformly great throughout.

The first album sounds amazing if not stylistically mixed up and out of time (recorded in 1968 but released until early 1970). The clarity on tracks is thrilling - "What She Thinks About" with Harmony Vocals by Graham Nash and my personal favourite - the trippy acoustic "How Have You Been" with Paul Harris later of Manassas on Harmonium. "Baby Don't Ya Get Crazy" is awful (even if it features Stephen Stills on Lead Guitar) but "I Had A Dream" ends the platter on a swirling upbeat note.

I've always thought the 2nd album was a massive improvement over the first opening with the bluesy Josh White cover "Well, Well, Well" which would later become "In My Time Of Dying" at the hands of Led Zeppelin on 1975's "Physical Graffiti". It continues with Clifton Chenier's "Black Snake Blues" - again in slide guitar boogie mode. "I Don't Want Nobody Else" intros like an Eddie Hinton song and is pure Sebastian Lovin' Spoonful melody - great stuff. After the pretty ditty "Apple Hill" - it's back to rocking on "Black Satin Kid". The piano of "Sweet Muse" sounds so clear now as does the acoustic guitar on the finisher title track. It's also a genuine blast to hear the non-album single "Give Us A Break" after all these years on a scratchy 45 - and with its superb instrumental B-side "Music For People Who Don't Speak English" sounding not unlike a War outtake with Lee Oskar on Harmonica.

The "Tarzana Kid" album features a huge cast of guests and is the funkiest of the four - there's Russell DaShiell of The Don Harrison Band, Lowell George of Little Feat, Emmylou Harris, The Pointer Sisters, Ry Cooder, Phil Everly, Buddy Emmons on Pedal Steel and David Lindley on Fiddle. The lovely "Face Of Appalachia" is co-written with Lowell George and features his signature style of guitar playing - it's a nugget. The Traditional "Wild About My Lovin'" features a perfectly complimentary Ry Cooder giving it some cool Mandolin and Slide. And I've often put the Rock-Funky instrumental "Harpoon" on many a 70's FEST CD-R compilation (always has folks asking after it).

The opener for album number four "Hideaway" sounds like Dave Edmunds while the title track "Welcome Back" became an unlikely US number 1 on the back of a John Travolta TV program called Welcome Back, Kotter. It's all a bit poppy on "She's Funny" but gets better on "You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine". He returns successfully to The Lovin' Spoonful's 1966 hit "Didn't Want To Have To Do It" by making it slower but still as lovely. The melody of "I Needed Her Most When I Told Her To Go" is so The Band - and in a good way.  Jeff Baxter plays Pedal Steel on the country "A Song A Day In Nashville" will tickle Gram Parsons fans. It ends nicely on the harmonica and strings of "Let This Be Our Time To Get Along" - as lovely a song as he's even penned.

But while the music may be 4 out of 5 - what gives this reissue that extra star is the real prize - the DVD. Stood alone in front of an appreciative and tiny British audience (maybe 30 people) - Sebastian is dressed in tie-dye shirt and trousers and enthusiastically works his way through new songs and a few Spoonful classics like "Rain On The Roof" and a storming version of "Daydream". He switches between acoustic, electric acoustic and electric lead - holding the stage easily and having great fun and banter with the crowd. He even puts in a fabulous Harmonica Solo towards the end and wraps it all up with a superlative rendition of the Spoonful's beautiful "Darling Be Home Soon". Defaulted to Full Aspect - the picture quality is great considering it's been in the can for 43 years. There's no extras on here - but man what a find - it's a real jewel in this reissue's crown.

It's not all genius by any means - there are clunkers on the CDs - and his mid Seventies voice was never the most emotive nor effective. But there is also so much to admire. This is impressive stuff - and you have to say that Edsel have done John Sebastian's musical legacy a solid with this superb release. Well done to all involved... 

"Groundhog Day" on BLU RAY – A Review Of The 1993 Harold Ramis Movie…

Here is a link to Amazon UK to get this BLU RAY issue at the best price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001JI0IEU

"…Chance Of Departure Today – 100%!" – Groundhog Day on BLU RAY

Phil Connors is the Weatherman for Channel 9 out of Pittsburgh (WPBH). Under serious duress - he’s been farmed out for four years in a row to the small town of Punxsutawney in Western Pennsylvania (Weather Capitol of the World Since 1877). He’s there to see another namesake predict the snow front coming in over the mountains even better than he can. Because every February 2nd 'Punxsutawney Phil The Groundhog' pops out of his tree trunk - and in front of the gathered townspeople and American media - tells The Mayor whether or not there will be 6 more weeks of Winter or an early Spring. And legendarily - the furry little Beaver-like creature is never wrong. Phil Connors (as you can imagine) couldn’t be more pleased about this prestigious career gig.

And this year deadpan Phil has a crew of two in tow – both believing him to be a shallow, self-centred, wisecracking smartass who doesn’t care about the town, its people or even the fun they’re having – and they’d be right. Assistant Rita (Andie McDowell) and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott) think Phil is a prick - and with every cynical jab and jibe he proves them correct – over and over again.

So on arrival Phil discounts Rita’s obvious interest in him – and stays in The Pennsylvania Hotel in town instead. He rises at six a.m. the following morning to the sound of two local DJ’s doing a Groundhog Day comedy routine to the music of "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher. Phil does the tedious gig with the varmit and the microphone and the camera – meets a man from the past he can’t stand (a stunning turn by Stephen Tobolowsky as Ned Ryerson) – gets locked into the town by a freak snow storm - and goes back to his hotel hoping to forget about the whole godawful schmaltzy thing.

But the next morning Phil wakes up at six a.m. to the same song and the same DJs corny puns. He looks out the window and it’s not snowing – Phil is reliving the same day – all over again. At first Phil is freaked - but of course no one believes him. Then as each day goes by and exactly the same things happen – he begins to twig he can predict the reactions of everyone – including the lovely Rita - who needs to be won over with gallantry, humanity and a liberal reading of Romantic French Poetry. Phil also begins to realize that if he makes a mistake talking to Rita in the town’s Tip Top Café – he can come back the next day and say the right thing. That will impress. Or better still – plug the local babes for info in the morning – then come back the following afternoon and use it to his dating advantage. Soon he’s doing this with everyone in town.

But as time goes by – he also learns the other positive of living in a modern day setting for "It's A Wonderful Life" – he can do good. So every new day Phil saves a child who falls from a tree – jacks the tyre of a group of old ladies who break down in a car – saves a man who chokes on a piece of steak in a restaurant – gives an old timer who is freezing to death outside bowls of soup… He even learns to ice-sculpt and play the piano really well. But unfortunately despite his best bedroom lines – his efforts to get his lovely assistant into the sack end up with him getting his face slapped by Rita – a lot. But of course as the days become weeks then months even years – he learns depression and loss - and that even suicide/killing himself in various interesting ways won’t get him off the hook or out of the endless repetitive cycle. But perhaps love might…

The part of Phil the Weatherman had initially been offered to Tom Hanks who rightly turned it down and Danny Rubin’s story began in the middle of the cycle (co-writes with Ramis changed all that). But what makes ‘Groundhog Day’ work is the witty and clever time warp moments and the casting of the one-and-only Bill Murray in the lead role - machine-gunning out those great one-liners like only he can (title of this review). Murray’s face is also a secret weapon unto itself – as is the gorgeous luminescence of Andie McDowell who seemed to spark amazing chemistry with her leading men (Gerard Depardieu in "Green Card" and Hugh Grant in "Four Weddings And A Funeral" are just two). But it’s Murray who nails it - slapstick cruel one moment – sweat as a Pumpkin Pie the next. Other actors could say, "Who can describe the television excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather…" but would it be as funny?

The BLU RAY picture is TRULY GORGEOUS – defaulted to 1.85:1 Full Aspect – it looks incredible almost all of the time. Dancing on the podium to Ray Charles as the snow falls – talking to Andie McDowell as they eat cream cakes – drinks at the bar as he tries not to be a twat and say something crass… Apart from the occasional grain in the credits (as the George Clinton song plays) and during the blizzard – it’s beautifully restored and enhances every scene.

Audio is English 5.1 True HD, Czech 5.1, Hungarian 5.1, Italian 5.1 True HD, Polish 5.1 VO and Russian 5.1 VO. Subtitles are Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, English UK, Finnish, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish Romanian, Slovene, Swedish, Turkish and English SDH.

Extras include – Audio Commentary With Director Harold Ramis, A Different Day Featurette (A discussion with Harold Ramis on the movie and its legacy), The Weight Of Time (a discussion with writer Danny Rubin), The Story Of Groundhogs, A Real Life Look At Marmots, Deleted Scenes, and Needle Nose Ned’s Picture In Picture Track (BLU RAY exclusive).

I suppose in the hands of another Director this material could have been more cynically portrayed – darker even – but Ramis likes people too much for that to happen. There’s now even a plaque on Main Street Woodstock in Illinois (where they filmed the town sequences) dedicated to “Ned’s Corner” where Phil Collins meets Ned Ryerson every day and reacts differently to him. Residents brought out heaters to warm the freezing cast – Bill Murray bought and distributed 500 Danish Pastries to the onlookers. Sometimes a movie is like that – it’s just good – and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside…even becomes a cult…

So remember – if a talking American marmot tells you what Sunday’s weather is going to be like for that crucial date with the lady of your dreams – I’d listen - lest you want sore cheek bones and no sex for the rest of eternity...

PS: Although it doesn’t say so on anywhere on the outer artwork – this ‘UK’ BLU RAY release is part of the “Sony Collectors Series”. Here are the other titles – all of which are numbered on the spine - and come in generic ‘slipcases’ with a blue band on top and a gold stripe set against a white card sleeve:

1. Taxi Driver (35th Anniversary Edition) (1976)

2. The Bridge On The River Kwai (Collectors Edition) (1957)

3. Stand By Me (25th Anniversary Edition) (1986)

4. Gandhi (2 Disc Special Edition) (1982)

5. Easy Rider (Special Edition) (1969)

6. Midnight Express  (Special Edition) (1978)

7. Boyz N The Hood (20th Anniversary Edition) (1991)

8. Das Boot (2 Disc Director’s Cut) (1981)

9. The Guns Of Navarone (50th Anniversary Edition) (1961)

10. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (2 Disc Special Edition) (1977)

11. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (Special Edition) (1964)

12. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Special Edition) (2000)

13. The Caine Mutiny (Special Edition) (1954)

14. Lawrence Of Arabia (50th Anniversary Edition) (1962)

15. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Special Edition) (1993)

16. Groundhog Day (Special Edition) (1993)

17. Glory (Special Edition) (1990) [see REVIEW for "Mastered In 4K" release]

18. From Here To Eternity (Anniversary Edition) (1953)

19. The Remains Of The Day (Anniversary Edition) (1993) [see REVIEW]

"The Blind Side" on BLU RAY – A Review Of The 2009 John Lee Hancock Movie…

Here is a link to Amazon UK to get this BLU RAY for under a fiver:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004HYFUIW

"…Anything Is Possible…" – The Blind Side on BLU RAY

Separated as a child from his older brother Marcus and raised by a drug-addicted mother with 11 other kids in tow (his father was entirely absent) – 16-year old Michael Oher barely registered on public records. He’d been in and out of foster homes since the age of 7 and with a below average IQ of 80 and school grades barely scraping zero – the American education system also considered him to be simple as well as useless. And few in the Hurt Village area where he lived (notorious Housing Projects in North Memphis) fended for him – let alone made it into their twenties alive.

One day a school football coach is approached in his offices by Oher’s then black stepfather Big Tony the Mechanic (Michael is sleeping in his house on the sofa). Tony wants a place for his small son and 'Big Mike' at Wingate Christian School in Texas. When Coach Cotton looks out the window - he sees Big Mike (played to perfection by Quinton Aaron)- a grizzly-bear black teenager playing hoops like he was born to. But more than taken with Mike’s athletic skills – Coach Cotton is moved (great work from Roy McKinnon). He decides right there and then to persuade a reluctant school panel to give this massive teenager a second chance.

They agree - but then feel they may have made a mistake - as Michael appears incapable of learning - and his sole contribution to an exam paper is to draw a sailboat on the back page with a singular child in it – lost at sea. But one teacher Mrs. Boswell (beautifully played by Kim Dickens) believes there’s intelligence in Mike - if only she can find a way to get it out and up his grades (thereby keeping his place in the program)…

Also in Wingate School are S.J. and Collins Tuohy – the 7-year old son and 16-year cheerleader daughter of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy (Tim McGraw and Sandra Bullock) – wealthy owners of 86 Taco Bell food outlets. They are a faith-based white family with little to worry about monetarily but genuine in their beliefs (dialogue above).

Leigh Anne Tuohy is a Southern Lady – all tight skirts, sunglasses in her hair, perfect make-up and possessed of a non-nonsense practicality aligned with a will of iron few will tackle (she mutters "well all right…" all the time). But beneath all that steely mettle is a heart of gold – a woman who practices her Christianity - rather than just spend time with it on a Sunday. To Leigh Anne giving is as natural as speaking – and colour is not an issue.

Slowly Leigh Anne begins to notice her vivacious but tiny son S.J. gravitate towards the protective frame of Big Mike – a gentle giant with no malice in him and a handy ability to forget the past. One night walking back from the Coin-Op Laundry where Mike washes and dries one of only two teeshirts he owns (he’s been made homeless yet again) – Leigh Anne is driving with her family in tow and spots Mike walking in the freezing night air in flimsy clothing. He seems lost and even defenceless. She makes a decision to give him a place to stay that night – the opulent Tuohy home. And so it begins – a loving relationship that will eventually see him become a member of the family and Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy become his legal guardians.

But then Mike begins to realize that when it comes to American Football – his 98% Protective Instincts (the only test he ever scored highly on) make him the perfect Left Tackle – the man who protects the Quarter Back. Soon huge clubs (six legendary football coaches make cameo appearances) are noticing his extraordinary natural ability to block anything that threatens his ‘family’ (the team) and soon he is learning at school too. But it could all be derailed by the Social Services people who feel Leigh Anne may have set Big Mike up all along so that he would play for their beloved team 'Ole Miss' (Mississippi). Soon he is back at the drug-infested Projects and then the Coin-Op – confused and hurting…

What gives "The Blind Side" a beating heart is that it’s beautifully played by all – especially Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron. There's a danger that it all descends into a rich-white-woman’s plaything – a patronizing project she’s taken on – it’s not like that. Bullock is fabulous in the role (and deserved her Oscar) while Aaron’s dignity in the face of ridicule and pain is filled with a grace that is still, peaceful and intensely moving.

The BLU RAY picture is GORGEOUS – defaulted to Full Aspect – it looks incredible all of the time. In fact at times you can see just a little ‘too much’ makeup. Audio is English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Castilian Spanish 5.1, German 5.1 and English 2.0 Audio Descriptive Service. Subtitles are English, Castilian Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Norwegian and Swedish. Extras exclusive to BLU RAY are - Sidelines: Conversations On The Blind Side, The Story Of Big Quinton, Michael Oher Exclusive and Acting Coaches: Behind The Blind Side.

As Michael studies for an exam – he’s given the academic task by his teachers (who have come to believe in him) of appraising "The Charge Of The Light Brigade" poem by Alfred Tennyson. Michael surmises that you - "Hope For Courage, But Try For Honour…"

By the time the end credits roll - with real footage of Michael Oher joining The Ravens for the NFL Draft of 2009 as Team Member 74 - and then onto stills of him and his adopted Tuohy family – the tears are flowing and your warmth towards these fabulous people is genuine.

The true story of MICHAEL OHER is extraordinary - and John Lee Hancock’s wonderful film "The Blind Side" does his redemptive life-path proper justice.

An emotional touch down…and how…