"Kiln House" by FLEETWOOD MAC - September 1970 US LP on Reprise Records - October 1970 in the UK (2013 Japan-Only SHM-CD Reissue and Remaster in Mini LP Repro Artwork) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...I'll Tell You All The Things I Do..." 

There's been a version of "Kiln House" floating around on US and German CD reissue since the late Eighties (the UK CD wasn't released until February 1993). But apart from a couple of tracks on "The Chain" box set from 1992 - it's never been given the full remaster treatment it deserves - until now.

"Kiln House" by FLEETWOOD MAC was issued in Japan-only on Warner Brothers/Reprise WPCR-14580 (Barcode: 4943674121175) on the 4 September 2013. Running to 34:32 minutes - it's a SHM-CD (Super High Materials) and is presented in MINI LP REPRO ARTWORK - a hard-card repro sleeve of the original US gatefold LP (with Christine McVie's lovely hand-painted artwork). The album was originally released on Reprise Records RS 6408 in mid September 1970 in the USA and early October 1970 in the UK on Reprise Records RSLP 9004.

Very disappointing - and I suspect a major slip-up on the part of the usually scrupulous Japanese - is that it's missing the gatefold 'Penguin' mini-insert that came with original UK copies (it pictures the band in various funny poses). I have one and it's now a hugely collectable item when it comes to purchasing original vinyl of this album. The LP was re-issued in the UK in mid 1971 when Kinney Music kicked in on Reprise K 44165 but without the insert - so only original copies carried it. It's a small thing - but worth mentioning. What the Japanese have done is to produce the "Distinguished Company' inner advert bag that accompanied so many albums on Reprise and Warners at the time - advertising Mail-Order 2LPs sets called "Loss Leaders". The CD itself also reproduces the original Tan Riverboat Label design - nice attention to detail. The 12-page booklet has liner notes in Japanese and does reproduce the lyrics for the first time but nothing else. No pictures, no real details. The plastic wrap on the outside has the SHM-CD sticker on it and holds the OBI strip around the side of the repro sleeve.

SHM-CD does not need a special player - it's simply a better kind of CD formatted by Universal and JVC in Japan in 2008 (in fact they're now being superseded by Platinum SHM CD which is taking audiophiles by storm). It means that the disc picks up more nuances of the transfer and owning about 10 of them - even if the master is old or the same - the sound quality is invariably better. It's in the details - the bass, the drums, the little things you didn't hear before or were buried in the mix. There is warmth in this SHM-CD disc that is closest to that of the original vinyl.

1. This Is The Rock

2. Station Man

3. Blood On The Floor

4. Hi Ho Silver

5. Jewel Eyed Judy

6. Buddy’s Song [Side 2]

7. Earl Gray

8. One Together

9. Tell Me All The Things You Do

10. Mission Bell

From the moment it opens with the cod Rock 'n' Roll vibe of "This Is The Rock" you know you're in the presence of a remaster. The hiss level is definitely up but not to a point where it would detract - if anything the bass and drums are so much better for it. Then there's the fantastic "Station Man" (issued as a 7" single in the USA at the time) and its near six minutes in length feels like eight - but in a good way. The dueling guitars are so much more powerful now and the remaster is far better than the one that's on "The Chain" box set.

It's also at this point that you notice that there are two forces competing on the album. With Peter Green departed since "Then Play On" the year before - guitarists Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer took centre stage. Spencer was on his total retro Rock 'n' Roll tip so you get the almost bizarre Fifties feel of "Blood On The Floor" and he went as far as crediting "Buddy's Song" to Ella Holley - Buddy Holly's mother. Offsetting this is Danny Kirwan rocking like a mother and for me this is where the real Fleetwood Mac of the time is - on stunners like their jumping cover of Fats Waller's "Hi Ho Silver", the beautiful "Jewel Eyed Judy" and my all-time favourite - "Tell Me All The Things You Do" - the kind of nugget Paul Weller needs to cover pronto. I've put "Tell Me..." on so many 70's Fest compilations and every time I play it - it brings a customer to the counter (lyrics from it title this review). Kirwan's fabulous instrumental "Earl Gray" is a rival for "Albatross" for me - it turned up as an acoustic outtake called "Farewell" on the superb 3CD set  "Men Of The World - The Early Years" issued by Sanctuary in the UK in 2005. "One Together" is pleasant enough while the album finisher is an ok cover of "Mission Bell" (written by Jesse Hodges and William Michael and recorded by PJ Proby in 1965) sounding again not unlike bad Buddy Holly.

The album is a mixed bag for sure and ushered in a five-album wilderness years for the band until their Buckingham/Nicks rejuvenation in 1975 - but that hasn't stopped me from loving the rocking side of "Kiln House" to bits for 4 decades and more. It doesn't state who remastered what on either the CD or the packaging but the sound is great and for me worth the extra price these discs cost.

There was indeed something about 1970, 1971 and 1972 that seemed to produce so much greatness in Rock - and this little forgotten nugget deserves its place in that pantheon.

"Jewel Eyed Judy...please come home..." Well it has...

The albums in this 4 September 2013 Japanese-only FLEETWOOD MAC SHM-CD reissue series are:

1. "Kiln House" (1970) - Warner Brothers WPCR-14580

2. "Future Games" (1971) - Warner Brothers WPCR-14581

3. "Bare Trees" (1972) - Warner Brothers WPCR-14582

4. "Penguin" (1973) - Warner Brothers WPCR-14583

5. "Mystery To Me" (1974) - Warner Brothers WPCR-14584
6. "Heroes Are Hard To Find" (1974) - Warner Brothers WPCR-14585

 

Further Remaster and Additional Tracks available in "Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1974" Box Set issued September 2020 in the UK and USA - see separate review...

"A Nod's As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse" by FACES - A Review Of Their 1971 Album - Now remastered In Japan-Only Onto A 2010 SHM-CD...

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" 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:

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"...My Mum She Likes You...Thinks You're Swell..." - A Nod's As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse by FACES (2010 Japan-Only SHM-CD Remaster)

There are some albums you genuinely can't be rational about. You only have to see the LP artwork and you're a pile of dribbling mush in need of a chair. People will ask you to be reasonable and rational as you rant and rave about their aural merits - but it won't work. In our humble abode the 3rd platter by the Godlike Faces "A Nod's As Good As A Wink...To A Blind Horse..." is one such record. I've loved it for over 40 years and this stunning new remaster of it has only made matters worse...

Released in Japan June 2010 as part of a 5-album SHM-CD reissue campaign - Warner Brothers WPCR-13841 (Barcode 4943674098200) is a 5" card repro of the UK artwork (36:25 minutes) complete with the rare fold-out colour poster that came with original November 1971 LPs. There's an Obi band, an inner booklet that reproduces the lyrics and little else (no photos) and a re-sealable plastic outer that needs to be handled with care because its so easy to catch the sleeve or CD when replacing it.

The format used here is the SHM-CD (Super High Materials) - it doesn't require a special CD player to play it on (it's just a better form of the CD format itself). The disc (which is in a protective plastic inner) is heavier in weight that the standard CD and picks up the nuances from the transfer better. But the big news for fans is the exclusive ISAO KIKUCHI remaster - which trumps everything that's gone before. I've had the standard WEA CD from the 1990s and the Audio Fidelity supposed remaster - both are good but never great - and like so many of their lack-lustre releases - the AF issue lacks any real muscle and sounds dead. No such problem with this monster - the detail is fabulous and it rocks like a mother.

"Miss Judy's Farm" opens proceedings with naughty-boy riffage in the left speaker and then bursts into your room - it feels like The Stones on a really good "Sticky Fingers" day. But the remaster and clarity really ups a notch on the rocker "You're So Rude" and the sweet ballad "Love Lives Here" where Rod's vocals are superb and Ronnie Wood's guitar to the fore. There is a small amount of hiss on each of the tracks but that only gives the 'live-in-the-studio' Glyn Johns production a warmth and natural swagger that serves it well. Side 1 finishes on the mighty "Stay With Me" - issued as 7" single with my favourite Faces track ever on the flipside - Ronnie Lane's gorgeous "Debris". What a song - and it sounds huge. Side 2 gives us a raucous cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" in that ramshackle Faces fashion - while "Too Bad" is the hidden boogie nugget on the album - a brilliant slice of Seventies Rock if ever there was one. It ends with Ronnie Wood's slide guitar on "That's All You Need" which is astonishing.

There's talk from the people who brought us the Small Faces DELUXE EDITION 2CD sets of 2014 CD reissues for the FACES - Deluxe Editions that will include outtakes and alternates - but we will have to wait and see... In the meantime - there's this superlative remaster and the others in this series to be getting on with.

At their Rock 'n' Rolling champagne-guzzling best - the FACES were probably the only band in the world to rival The Rolling Stones - who let's face it - were in their prime also in 1971 and 1972. A fabulous reissue and I love owning this equine wonder...

"Tuck Box" by NICK DRAKE (2013 Universal/Island Records 5CD Box Set (Mostly 2000 Remasters)) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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There are two ways of looking at this 5CD release - for longtime NICK DRAKE fans it's a pain (buying what you already own) - but for newcomers or just the curious - "Tuck Box" is a treasure trove of beautiful music presented in a really rather lovely way.

Released Monday 9 December 2013 - "Tuck Box" by NICK DRAKE on Universal/Island 0602537538546 (Barcode 602537538546) consists of 5CDs in repro card digipaks with 5 accompanying fold-out colour posters - the press-released full-page adverts for each album. The box sticker and rear details clearly state that this is previously released material.

The first 3 CDs are his officially released catalogue before his tragic loss in 1974. These CDs are NOT DIFFERENT to the 28 June 2000 CD remasters done by Simon Heyworth and John Wood (the album's original engineer). Disappointingly the altered album artwork on those reissues has also been copied here and the booklets are exactly the same too (filled with lyrics and some photographs). The sound quality on all three sets is exceptional - carefully remastered - and the music is magical - in fact listening to "Cello Song" even now reduces me to shivers. Here are the breakdowns…

Disc 1 “Five Leaves Left” (Debut Studio LP - 41:45 minutes):

1. Time Has Told Me

2. River Man

3. Three Hours

4. Way To Blue

5. Day Is done

6. ‘Cello Song [Side 2]

7. The Thoughts Of Mary Jane

8. Man In A Shed

9. Fruit Tree

10. Saturday Sun

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Five Leaves Left" - his debut vinyl album was released 1 September 1969 in the UK on Island Records ILPS 9105 - reissued on Remaster CD in June 2000.

Disc 2 “Bryter Layter” (2nd studio album - 39:26 minutes):

1. Introduction

2. Hazey Jane II

3. At The Chime Of A City Clock

4. One Of These Things First

5. Hazey Jane I

6. Bryter Layter [Side 2]

7. Fly

8. Poor Boy

9. Northern Sky

10. Sunday

Tracks 1 to 2 are "Bryter Layter" - released 1 November 1970 in the UK on Island Records ILPS 9134

Disc 3 “Pink Moon” (3rd and final studio album - 28:30 minutes):

1. Pink Moon

2. Place To Be

3. Road

4. Which Will

5. Horn

6. Things Behind The Sun [Side 2]

7. Know

8. Parasite

9. Free Ride

10. Harvest Breed

11. From The Moring

Tracks 1 to 11 are his 3rd and final album "Pink Moon" - released 25 February 1972 in the UK on Island Records ILPS 9184

Disc 4 "Made To Love Magic" (Compilation - 41:52 minutes):

1. Rider On The Wheel

2. Magic

3. River Man

4. Joey

5. Thoughts Of Mary Jane

6. Mayfair

7. Hanging On A Star

8. Three Hours

9. Clothes Of sand

10. Voices

11. Time Of No Reply

12. Black Eyed Dog

13. Tow The Line

“Made To Love Magic” is a posthumous 13-track CD/LP compilation of unreleased outtakes and alternate versions (including 5 tracks from his never-finished 4th album). It was issued 24 March 2004 and features John Wood and Simon Heyworth Remasters/Remixes with additional help from Jeremy Gill.

Disc 5 “Family Tree” (64:34 minutes):

1. Come In To The Garden (Introduction)

2. They’re Leaving Me Behind

3. Time Piece

4. Poor Mum (Performed by Molly Drake)

5. Winter Is Gone

6. All My Trials (Performed by Nick Drake and Gabrielle Drake)

7. Mozart’s Kegelstatt Trio (Performed by The Family Trio)

8. Strolling Down The Highway

9. Paddling In Rushmere

10. Cocaine Blues

11. Blossom

12. Been Smoking Too Long

13. Black Mountain Blues

14. Tomorrow Is A Long Time

15. If You Leave Me

16. Here Come The Blues

17. Sketch 1

18. Blues Run The Game [Jackson C. Frank cover version]

19. Milk And Honey

20. Kimbie

21. Birdie Flew By

22. Rain

23. Strange Meeting II

24. Day Is Done

25. Come Into The Garden

26. Way To Blue

27. Do You Ever Remember? (Performed by Molly Drake)

Tracks 1 to 27 are "Family Tree" - another posthumous compilation on CD and LP released 9 July 2007 and featuring 27 tracks recorded between 1967 and 1969 (prior to his debut).

Each album is now in an oversized card digipak with a small booklet using the 2000 CD reissues artwork (shame they didn’t revert to the original album looks)  - the two posthumous compilations use their original art. The only discernible difference is that the "Five Leaves Left" CD label now sports an even more garish PINK label than its predecessor. The digipaks are all inset into the box in a hollow with Nick Drake’s lyrics typed around the edges of on the box on the inside. There's no stand-alone booklet unfortunately – nor it would seem any new remasters – these are the JOHN WOOD versions carried out in 2000 for the three studio albums. The sound is glorious it has to be said – especially as much of the music is acoustic based with the double-bass acting as a rhythm section. There’s clarity, warmth and presence – its all here.

The first album is astonishing – great tunes, cool trippy backing and those sad as a river string arrangements on stuff like “Fruit Tree” and “Way To Blue”. The irrepressible “’Cello Song” gets me every time and Alexis Korner became the first person I know of who covered a Nick Drake song – the album finisher “Saturday Sun” – he did it on his “Alexis Korner” album from July 1971 on RAK Records.

The hiss levels increase a tad on “At The Chime Of A City Clock” and on the lovely instrumental “Bryter Layter” while “Northern Sky” still exudes romantic ‘magic’ (and has been used in movies for just such a purpose). My favourite is the gorgeous “One Of These Things First” and the jazzy “Poor Boy” sounds like a male-fronted Fairground Attraction decades before their time.

The album that no one bought – the solo “Pink Moon” is probably every fan’s crave – beautiful and ethereal like John Martyn’s “Solid Air” which in itself would arrive a year later (February 1973) also on the mighty Island Records). Relistening to its stark and bare songs (just him and a guitar) - history would have us ask why Island never released “Pink Moon” or the lovely “Place To Be” as 7” singles – maybe capture the airwaves like Labi Siffre and Cat Stevens had?

The first compilation “Made To Love Magic” is a triumph - all the material receiving serious digital polishing from John Wood and Jeremy Gill. The orchestration they put on “Magic” is from his own notes – so we hear now the stunning song - as it would have been. The trio of - “Hanging On A Star”, “Joey” and “Clothes Of Sand” are simply stunning (complete with playing mistakes) – an indication as to how good his songwriting had become (“something has taken you so far from me…”)

Having said that - if you're new to Drake and his wonderful soft singer-songwriter beauty - then this is a lovely way to kindle a romance that will stay with you like Joni Mitchell lyrics work their way into your consciousness. But in a 'starry night' kind of way - you just can't help thinking that someone as beautiful as Nick Drake deserved just a little bit more effort than this... And the cool “Tow The Line” was his last recording. And as ‘interesting’ as much of “Family Tree” is (“Winter is Gone” and “Blues Run The Game”) – the huge hiss levels and poor quality of the recordings means that most of it is a curio at best.

So there you have it – 3 released albums of near perfection – one quality posthumous compilation and another after-the-fact set that I’d argue should have stayed in the can. But oh what a legacy his music is – I just wish it was ongoing – and not that horrible full stop in 1974…

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