"On Vine Street: The Early Songs Of Randy Newman" by VARIOUS (March 2008 Ace Records CD - Duncan Cowell and Rob Shread Remasters)

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"...Come And See Us..."

Begun in 1975 London - England's Ace Records have been at this reissue malarkey as long as most us have had dental appointments for a sweet tooth. For more than forty years now they've compiled out likes and dislikes on vinyl and CD and nine-times out of ten their superb reissues regularly elicit four and five stars - almost as a norm. But sometimes they just utterly nail it - and with a subject matter that deserves our attention and rediscovery. Even half way through "On Vine Street: The Early Songs Of Randy Newman" - you can 'feel' the class seeping off track-after track on this 2008 CD compilation.

As the risk of sounding trite here (and I don't mean to be) - the reason is Randy Newman's writing. Many (not all) of these Sixties artists couldn't pen a song of their own and would have been at the mercy of 'other' suppliers - the Brill building Pop machine that fed them by-the-numbers hits – another bopper in tune with the latest fad sweeping the dance floors of the nation. But even in cover versions that throwaway sensibility isn't present. You can literally hear these interpretations be sung with genuine soul and passion because the artists singing them 'know' a real song when they sing it.

Split into his two most recognisable styles - wry acidic humour on the one hand sat alongside piano-led pain on the other - most of the best songs on here are ballads actually. And even though there's simplicity to Newman's melodies - his words are deceptively deep - not just a boy and a girl sat in a Chevy on a Saturday night at the Drive-In - all fumbling thumbs and chewing-gum nerves. When you put hurting odes like "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" into the hands of masters like Dusty Springfield or "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore" into the lungs of Scott Walker - something magical happens.

I’ve played this compilation from start to finish on more than one occasion (even if I don’t dig everything on here) and on each new listen – my admiration for this classy songsmith only grows. Here are the dancing details...

UK released 31 March 2008 (7 April 2008 in the USA) - "On Vine Street: The Early Songs Of Randy Newman" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDCHD 1186 (Barcode 029667032629) is a 26-song CD compilation covering 1962 to 1970 that plays out as follows (68:57 minutes):

1. The Biggest Night Of Her Life - HARPERS BIZARRE (from their 1967 US Stereo album "Anything Goes" on Warner Brothers WS 1716)

2. Simon Smith And The Amazing Dance - ALAN PRICE SET (February 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F 12570, A-side)

3. Mama Told Me Not To Come - ERIC BURDON & THE ANIMALS (from their 1967 US Stereo album "Eric Is Here" on MGM Records SE 4433)

4. Have You Seen My Baby - FATS DOMINO (from the 1969 US album "Fats Is Back" on Reprise RS 6304, also February 1970 US 7" single on Reprise 0891, A-side)

5. Old Kentucky Home – THE BEAU BRUMMELS (from their 1967 US Stereo LP "Triangle" on Warner Brothers WS 1692)

6. So Long Dad - NILSSON (from the January 1970 US LP "Nilsson Sings Newman" on RCA Victor LSP-4269, an entire album of RN covers)

7. Love Story - RICKY NELSON (from his 1968 US Stereo LP "Perspective" on Decca DL 75014)

8. (Intro: Black Jack David)/Vine Street - VAN DYKE PARKS (from the 1967 US Stereo LP "Song Cycle" on Warner Brothers WS 1727)

9. I'll Be Home - LORRAINE ELLISON (1970 recording first issued 1995 on the CD album "Stay With Me/The Best Of..." on Ichiban SCL 2016)

10. I Think It's Gonna Rain Today - DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (from the 1968 UK Stereo LP "Dusty...Definitely" on Philips SBL 7864)

11. I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore - WALKER BROTHERS/SCOTT WALKER (from their 1965 debut UK Stereo LP "Take It Easy With..." on Philips SBL 7691 - called "Introducing The Walker Brothers" in the USA. Same recording also issued as a SCOTT WALKER solo 7" single in the USA in April 1968 on Smash S-2156, A-side)

12. I've Been Wrong Before - CILLA BLACK (April 1965 UK 7" single on Parlophone R 5269, US 7" single on Capitol 5414, Produced George Martin)

13. Take Me Away - JACKIE DeSHANNON (from her 1965 UK Stereo LP "This Is Jackie DeShannon" on Liberty SLBY 3063)

14. Happy New Year - BEVERLEY [later Beverley Martyn, wife of John Martyn] (September 1966 UK 7" single on Deram DM 101, A-side. Features Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on Guitar and Bass with Nicky Hopkins on Piano)

15. Baby, Don't Look Down - BILLY STORM (September 1964 US 7" single on Loma 2001, A-side)

16. Friday Night - THE O'JAYS (August 1966 US 7" single on Imperial 66197, B-side of "Stand In For Love")

17. Big Brother - CALVIN GRAYSON (October 1964 US 7" single on Capitol 5308, B-side of "Where Do I Belong", produced by David Axelrod)

18. Nobody Needs Your Love - GENE PITNEY (June 1966 UK 7" single on Stateside SS 518, A-side)

19. Just One Smile - THE TOKENS (August 1965 US 7" single on B.T. Puppy Records 45-513, B-side of "The Bells Of St. Mary")

20. I Can't Remember Ever Loving You - TAMMY GRIMES (Previous unissued 1966 session - arrangements Jack Nitzsche)

21. While The City Sleeps - IRMA THOMAS (from the 1964 US Stereo LP "Wish Someone Would Care" on Imperial LP-12266)

22. Take Her - FRANKIE LAINE (September 1963 US 7" single on Columbia 4-42884, B-side of "I'm Gonna Be Strong", arranged by Jack Nitzsche, produced by Terry Melcher)

23. Love Is Blind - IRMA FRANKLIN (August 1963 US 7" single on Epic 5-9610, B-side of "Abracadabra")

24. Somebody's Waiting - GENE McDANIELS (December 1962 UK 7" single on Liberty LIB 55510, B-side of "Spanish Lace")

25. Looking For Me - VIC DANA (January 1963 UK 7" single on Liberty LIB 64, B-side of "A Very Good Year For Girls")

26. They Tell Me It's Summer - THE FLEETWOODS (July 1962 US 7" single on Dolton 62, B-side of "Lovers By Night, Strangers By Day")

Tracks 9, 14, 15, 19, 20, 23 and 25 are in MONO - the remainder in STEREO

The 20-page booklet is a feast of photos and in-depth info provided by the frighteningly well-informed MICK PATRICK - a man (like me) who clearly needs to get out more. You wouldn't know it by looking at its rare Deram DM 101 label - but Beverley's lone UK seven-inch single entry here features Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on Guitar and Bass while Nicky Hopkins adds the keyboards. Patrick informs the collectors in us all of this kind of info (I’d add that in a few years time the gorgeous Londoner would meet and marry a young Ian David McGeachy from Scotland who would then change his name to John Martyn and they would of course become John and Beverley Martyn on Island Records). Patrick also mentions stuff like the Eric Burdon & The Animals earlier take on "Mama Told Me Not To Come" was produced by Tony Wilson who was closely associated with The Velvet Underground and that the EB version was what Three Dog Night based their cover on - a song that gave them a No. 1 in the USA and a lot of other places too. The photos of rare album covers for Irma Thomas, Jackie DeShannon, The Beau Brummels and Rick Nelson and more spice up the text - while DUNCAN COWELL and ROB SHREAD have done their usual bang up job with the mastering and audio restoration - so many in glorious and ballsy Stereo. To the music...

At first the Harpers Bizarre vaudeville pop of "The Biggest Night Of Her Life" seems slightly throwaway but then the depth of the words hit you - Suzie attending her 16th birthday party where her neat-haired boyfriend might get his crew-cut ruffled. The wit continues with a huge hit for both Newman and ex-Animals main-man Alan Price - "Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear". It's not a tune I've ever particularly warmed too but it does have great audio here. Things really start to cook with the shimmering "Mama Told Me Not To Come" by Eric Burdon. Sure his earlier version is more heavy-handed than the brilliant and frankly better Three Dog Night version that would top charts everywhere in 1970 - but it's a truly fascinating listen. Virtually unheard nowadays - Fats Domino lays down a typically swaying and piano-storming version of "Have You Seen My Baby"  - for many people a genuine discovery on here. "Old Kentucky Home" suits The Beau Brummels to a tee.

Things heat up with the impossibly pretty and forlorn "So Long Dad" from the 1970 "Nilsson Sings Newman" album - a record I've reviewed as a separate entity because I think it's a forgotten masterpiece. The Rick Nelson track is from his equally ignored "Perspective" LP from 1968 where each track is linked with natural sounds (here it's slurping water at the beginning of the song). The bizarre Van Dyke Parks track "Vine Street" is made all the more difficult by having 'Black Jack David' lead it in before strings and his strange voice take over. Recorded in 1970 - the Lorraine Ellison track is a sweetheart too but its firmly trounced by both Dusty Springfield and Scott Walker who nail "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" and "I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore" with fabulous arrangements. The Beverley Martyn track is superb too - a bit of a Rocker with jobbing-musicians Jimmy Page and John-Paul Jones giving it some in the background while the Soul Boys and Gals bring up "Friday Night" (O'Jays), "I Can't Remember Ever Loving You" (Tammy Grimes) and and a wonderful Northern Soul and Phil Spector feel to "Somebody's Waiting" (Gene McDaniels).

Odd - musical - and yet somehow thoroughly satisfying – 2008’s "On Vine Street: The Early Songs Of Randy Newman" is a very cool CD. Hats off to Ace and its compiler crew once again...

"...You Promised..." - Gifted - A Review of the 2017 Movie now on DVD and BLU RAY...

"Gifted" - The Film

Sure its clunky and even clichéd in places - but having just come from the cinema - "Gifted" is also a rather lovely and moving little film. It's helped in no small part by a great script from Tom Flynn, an uncluttered direction from Marc Webb and most especially - fabulous leads who don't waste a moment of what they know is a sweetheart of a movie.

Chris Evans wisely steps out of that clean-cut Captain America persona, peels back the macho and actually acts. And he's good when he does - hugely likeable - and as some of the film's early jokes involving teachers at his daughter's school and ladies at the local bar indicate - in his ah-shucks teeshirt and disheveled beard - kind of cute eye-candy too.

Evans plays Frank Adler - a freelance boat-repairer living in a modest Florida home - rearing what appears at first to be his very precocious seven-year old daughter Mary. Mary questions everything (Latin in the English language, the validity of breakfast cereals, just who is this git God) and wants the answers right now and as a caveat – they should make sense too. But on the first day at school - Mary's combative nature comes out to a point where she feels 'odd' with the other kids - something she's dreaded – hence her thinly disguised defensiveness. And there's something else. It turns out Mary's a whizz at Maths. In fact not just a human calculator but also a genius - a gifted prodigy who is down with calculus, advanced algebra and differential equations when the other innocents are struggling with three plus three.

It doesn’t go unnoticed. Mary's young and kind-hearted teacher Bonnie Stevenson (a luminous Jenny Slate) is determined to talk to Dad Frank after class - and of course beneath the parent-teacher patter - sparks are ignited. They date quietly (not that Mary doesn’t spot the exit from a bathroom in a towel) and Bonnie learns more. It turns out that Frank is the brother of Mary's mum Diane Adler - who was also a troubled Math’s genius who couldn't take the oddity, the fame, and the pressure to prove a hugely difficult theory most professional Mathematicians wouldn't go near with a barge pole. Physically and emotionally stifled and somehow feeling she is a mentally frazzled and unworthy mum – Diane tragically ended her life at 27 leaving Frank with a niece/daughter to raise (the child’s real Dad has always been absent from her upbringing and cruelly it turns out that's just fine by him).

Enter Lindsay Duncan as Mary's prim-and-proper British Grandmother Evelyn (Diane's Mum) who lives in a wealthy and just-so residence in Massachusetts – the exact physical and mental opposite to loose-living Frank. Determined to raise the 7-year old Mary and unleash her obvious and awesome potential – unfortunately for the close bond between Frank and Mary - the points Evelyn raises don't just make sense but may well be the right thing to do for the child - and deep down Dad-Frank knows this. But Frank just wants Mary to have a normal life (as per mum's instructions) and even have (God forbid) some fun en route. Aunty has other ideas and enlists expensive lawyer types to apply some brutal but what she sees as necessary tough-love. Frank hires the street-savvy but humane Greg Cullen as his attorney - subtly played by a superb Glenn Plummer. Trouble brews, stews and boils over...and on it goes...

This is the best I've ever seen Lindsay Duncan because she's given a script of real meat. Her reasoning and sparring with Evans is both contained and realistic and her intellectual moneyed tantrum in a courtroom would cram more ice into an already stuffed refrigerator. Octavia Spencer adds gravitas too as the ever-present neighbour Roberta who loves Mary and her one-eyed cat Fred with a passion - but can't raise her because in the eyes of the law - the child is not her blood. But the whole movie is stolen by an astonishing performance from 11-year old McKenna Grace who already has a resume that would make your eyes bleed. She's vulnerable, funny, smart-assed, childish, wise (the scenes between her and Evans will reduce most to inner mush) and when it comes to key sequences later in the movie – this young actress reduced the audience I was with to tears and audible sobs. She's Saoirse Ronan good and that's really saying something...

Don't get me wrong. "Gifted" is not a relentless broken-family weepy that taps your emotions like a lump-hammer for the sake of it (even though it does resort to obvious filmic tricks in certain places – especially the choices of powerful and moving songs). But "Gifted" has that rare thing nowadays - a heart - a calmness even - and it reaffirms the power of family and love with a gentle grace that washes over you like a warm breeze and sunlight on water. And for once there's genuine believable chemistry between every single member of the cast (even the minor parts are beautifully realised and therefore ultimately believable). I liked it a lot and I suspect millions of other people will feel exactly the same.

Well done to all involved with "Gifted" and recommended big time.

Just remember to bring the face wipes with you to the cinema - and after it’s done - be prepared to want to hug your children with all the might you can physically muster...

"Hard Workin' Man: The Jack Nitzsche Story Volume 2" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (October 2006 Ace Records CD - Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Like Someone In Love..."

I worked in the rarities department of a well-known and well-respected London record shop for 20 years and music-biz insiders (for the want of better words) know the name JACK NITZSCHE well - a behind-the-scenes arranger and producer of real genius. We know him well - most others don't.

Well - England's Ace Records are determined to rectify our collective musical myopia on a musical force whose legend only grows since his way-too-early passing in 2000 at the age of 63 – Chicago's Jack Nitzsche.

Nitzsche's resume is jaw dropping in its sheer variety - initial arranging stints with visionary loon Phil Spector and the Specialty Records label in the Fifties (Crystals, Ronettes, Darlene Love and Larry Williams) - shaping the sound of Sixties luminaries like The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, The Righteous Brothers, Bob Lind, The Turtles, Neil Young - aiding and abetting The James Gang, Crazy Horse, Ry Cooder, Mink DeVille, Graham Parker and The Ramones in the Seventies – moving into soundtracks like "Head" (The Monkees), "Performance" (Mick Jagger), "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Blue Collar" (with Captain Beefheart) and later on in the 80s and 90s on "Hot Spot" (with John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis and actor Dennis Hopper). His final discovery in 1999 was the Willy DeVille soundalike CC Adcock from Louisiana (there's a four-page interview with Adcock at the end of the booklet that makes for revealing and affectionate reading).

Some say Jack was a direct descendent of the German classical composer Wagner and a relative to the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In fact legend has it that Jack's Mum (a renowned witch apparently) was the one responsible for dropping the 'e' in the family surname because she felt it conjured up some numerical bad vibes and dodgy voodoo jabberwocky of some kind (don't you just want that on your Facebook page). The e-less Jack even nabbed an award for co-writing "Up Where We Belong" from the 1983 global film smash "An Officer And Gentleman".

This is the second volume of three Various Artists CD compilations Ace have put out chronicling his amazing legacy - the first "Hearing Is Believing: The Jack Nitzsche Story 1962-1979" on Ace Records CDCHD 1030 (Barcode 029667008327) came out 28 March 2005 and the third installment "Night Walker: The Jack Nitzsche Story Volume 3" on Ace Records CDCHD 1430 (Barcode 029667059923) finally arrived 30 June 2014. We're going to deal with an overlooked nugget - piggy-in-the-middle – Volume 2 from 2006. Here are the Hard Workin' Men and the Teardrops At Dawn Women...

UK released 9 October 2006 - "Hard Workin' Man: The Jack Nitzsche Story Volume 2" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDCHD 1130 (Barcode 029667022323) is a 26-Track CD compilation stretching from 1960 to 2004 (Volume two in a series of three) that plays out as follows (76:25 minutes):

1. Hard Workin' Man - JACK NITZSCHE with vocals by CAPTAIN BEEFHEART (from the 1978 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to "Blue Collar" on MCA Records 40897) - written by Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder and Director Paul Schrader)
2. Surfer Finger - JACK NITZSCHE (Previously unissued 1966 Reprise Recordings instrumental recording)
3. Just Like That - THE ROBINS (1960 USA 7" single on Avree 5001, A-side)
4. I'm Gonna Be Strong - FRANKIE LAINE (1963 USA 7" single on Columbia 4-42884, A-side)
5. You Just Gotta Know My Mind - KAREN VERROS (1965 US 7" single on Dot 16780, A-side)
6. Some Of Your Lovin' - EMIL O'CONNOR (1962 US 7" single on Columbia 4-42617,A-side - Phil Spector co-write)
7. Nobody Needs Your Love More Than I Do - TAMMY GRIMES (1966 US 7" single on reprise 0487, A-side - a Randy Newman song)
8. It's In His Kiss - MERRY CLAYTON (1963 US 7" single on Capitol 4984, A-side)
9. Don't Put Your Heart In His Hand (1963 US 7" single on Reprise R-20176, A-side - written by Jackie DeShannon and Sharon Sheeley)
10. Just Once In My Life - THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS (1965 US 7" single on Philles Records 127, A-side - Spector, Goffin & King song)
11. Teardrops 'Till Dawn - TIMI YURO (1965 USA 7" single on Mercury 72478, A-side)
12. Like Someone In Love - BOBBY VEE (Previously unreleased 1965 Liberty Records recording)
13. Baby I'm So Glad It's Raining - THE SATISFACTIONS (Previously unreleased Sunset Sound Recorders 1965 recording)
14. Blow Your Mind - THE GAS CO (1965 US 7" single on Mirwood 5501, A-side)
15. Woman In Love (With You) - DONNA LOREN (Previously Unissued 1968 Capitol recording)
16. As Long As You're Here - ZALMAN YANOVSKY (1967 US 7" single on Buddah BDA 12, A-side)
17. A Man Needs Love - NOONEY RICKETT (Previously unissued 1966 recording)
18. Mr. Soul - THE EVERLY BROTHERS (a 1968 Warner Brothers recording first issued on the "Nice Guys" UK LP on Magnum Force Records MFLP 1028 in September 1984 - a Neil Young song from his days with Buffalo Springfield)
19. You Know What I Mean - THE TURTLES (1967 US 7" single on White Whale 264, A-side)
20. Porpoise Song - THE MONKEES (1968 US 7" single on Colgems 1031, A-side - Goffin & King song)
21. I Don't Want To Talk About It - CRAZY HORSE (from their February 1971 debut LP "Crazy Horse" on Reprise Records MS 6348 - Danny Whitten song later made famous by Rod Stewart)
22. I'm The Loneliest Fool - JACK NITZSCHE (1974 unreleased solo LP first issued 2004 on the "Three Piece Suite" CD album on Rhino Handmade RHM2 2287)
23. Don't Touch Me There - THE TUBES (June 1976 US 7" single on A&M 1826-S, A-side)
24. Bank Robbery - JOHN LEE HOOKER, MILES DAVIS and TAJ MAHAL (1990 US CD and LP to the Dennis Hopper Soundtrack "The Hot Spot" on Antilles 846 813-2)
25. Break Away - THE NEVILLE BROTHERS (from the 1978 US LP "The Neville Brothers" on Capitol 11675)
26. Stealin' All Day - CC ADCOCK [Charles Clinton Adcock] (from the 2004 CD album "Lafayette Marquis" on Yep Roc CD 2040)
Tracks 2, 12, 13, 15 and 17 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks 1, 10, 18, 19, 21 to 26 are in STEREO – all others are in MONO

Compiled by MICK PATRICK and TONY ROUNCE - the 24-page booklet is a veritable feast for the eyes and a properly in-depth read – 26-tracks expertly put together by two names synonymous with good reissues. You get rare pictures sleeves for The Righteous Brothers on Spector's Philles and Merry Clayton on Capitol, a promo photo of The Turtles in colour and an NME front cover that features the Spector Girl-Group-pastiche "Don't Touch Me There" by The Tubes. Apart from occasional forays into the late Seventies and beyond – the vast majority of the songs are Sixties and come in evenly spread dollops of hard-hitting Mono and speaker-spaced Stereo. I've never heard the Beefheart track with so much muscle and that huge soundstage that Spector got is wonderfully realized on The Righteous Brothers track (superb NICK ROBBINS remasters).

Featuring 12-tracks new to CD - the compilation starts on a very oddly-placed but still mightily catchy 1978 Stereo cut – the fantastic Muddy Waters 'I'm A Man' blues riff of the compilation's title track - "Hard Workin' Man". I mention this because much of the CD plays like a Sixties Pop and Rock fest rather than a late Seventies Johnny Winter stomper – so don’t be expecting a lot of that. The ladies bring up the melodrama Soul sides in real upbeat chest-bracing style – Tammy Grimes, Merry Clayton and a Northern Soul Scene fave – Timi Yuro. Nitzsche's own instrumental "Surf Finger" gets a CD airing for the first time too and damn good it is too. Overlooked discoveries include The Everly Brothers doing a very cool cover of the Buffalo Springfield song "Mr. Soul" penned by our favourite Canadian whinge bag Neil Young. It's a 1968 Warner Brothers out-take that would have to wait until 1984 in the UK to see release on vinyl. Loving this...

And its slightly trippy vibe makes for perfect bedfellows with The Monkees, The Gas Co and the hilarious Tubes track towards the end of the disc - "Don't Touch me There" (I'll try not to honey). Emotional wallop comes with the 1971 Danny Whitten masterpiece of heartbreak he penned for Crazy Horse and their brilliant debut album - "I Don't Want To Talk About It" – a song that would of course be made into a global smash by Rod Stewart in 1975 on his "Atlantic Crossing" LP on Riva Records. The other inclusion likely to send you running for a whole album purchase is the incredibly sexy and cool "Bank Robbery" theme from "The Hot Spot" Soundtrack of 1990. It features a truly stellar line up of groovy types - Miles Davis on Trumpet, Taj Mahal on Vocals and Guitar, John Lee Hooker on Second Guitar with Roy Rogers on Slide Guitar. And what a fantastic groove it is. The compilation ends on the Seasick Steve/Willy DeVille Blues mojo of CC Adcock bringing the production values right up to the present day.

It’s not all genius for sure (some of the Pop tracks can feel period twee) – but the best thing you can say about any CD compilation called Volume 2 is that it made me want to own Volume 1 and 3 as well. And I will admit that Jack Nitzsche Volume 4 will be welcome too.

Jack Nitzsche Volume 2 is recommended...e or no e...

"In My Room" by JACOB COLLIER (July 2016 CD on Membran - Mastered by Bernie Grundman) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Hotter Than June or July..."

Imagine Todd Rundgren has a love child with Tori Amos, Jon Anderson of Yes and Paul Buchanan of the Blue Nile - and on arrival into this screwed up and discordant world of ours - Jamie Callum, Take 6 and Mike Oldfield watch over the crib - taking turns to croon down at the golden child.

London laddie Jacob Collier and his gorgeous musical mishmashes tap into all of these elements and more - and his incredibly accomplished debut album "In Your Room" has taken many listeners – especially cool Jazz, Jazz Vocal and Audiophile buffs - by storm…

Signed to Quincy Jones Productions and mentored by that extraordinary organization - multi-instrumentalist and multi-vocalist Justin Collier released his first album at the staggering old age of 21. Makes you want to smack the smug little git with a tubular bell (but you can't because they're too expensive and you might not get the blood stains out). "In Your Room" - so called after the 'room' he grew up in and recorded every note on the record in - is an astonishing beginning.

Released 1 July 2016 and Mastered by Audio Engineer and long-standing genius Bernie Grundman (a multiple Grammy Nominee and winner) - Membran 234267 (Barcode 885150342671) sounds truly glorious and immediately makes you think of the ten-thousand hours of prep and sweat and toil that must have gone into getting it done. It's a long record – 58:57 minutes – and takes full advantage of the CD format's range. The last song "Don’t You Know" for instance is a plaintive ballad with real emotional punch that clocks in at a mighty nine-minutes.

The three-way foldout card-digipak gives you the usual credits as well as an informative history on his own musical journey written in his own articulate way – though oddly enough it doesn't tell you what instrument was played or where when an Mike Oldfield-moment album like this cries out for those kind of details (there are internet threads trying to disseminate on his vocal style and techniques). Comparisons to Stevie Wonder (whom he name-checks in the thank you list) and his keyboard style and grooves circa "Innervisions" in 1973 and "Songs In The Key Of Life" in 1976 have been accurately bandied about. Loads of melody - chunky chords - Jazz-Soul grooves from a white kid with a black Soul.

Though young - Collier's voice is similar in depth and sound to Jamie Callum. Collier plays, sings, arranges and writes all the complex songs. There are three notable exceptions – covers that will give you a shoe-in into how he structures songs - "You And I" from Stevie Wonder's 1980 LP "Hotter Than July" - "In The Room" from The Beach Boys 1963 LP "Surfer Girl" (itself a co-write with Gary Usher) and a Grammy winning cover of The Flintstones TV Theme done almost entirely Acapella. In fact his vocal passages in particular when he often synthesises his voice through an electronic keyboard are sweeping and amazing – Acapella taken to the next stage - like Alabama's six-piece gospel group 'Take 6' from the late Eighties and Nineties on Warner Brothers. There's even a trace of Sigur Ros magic in there too.

I could write about this obvious prodigy for days - but you need to see and hear him. If you want some YouTube highlights check out the seven minutes of "Hideaway" or the uplifting "Hajanga" from the album - and then make a beeline to his gorgeous and innovative non-album covers of "Blackbird" by The Beatles (from 1968's The White Album) and Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" originally on 1974's "Fulfillingness' First Finale".

Prepare for dazzling vocal work similar to Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" back in the Blue Note days of old. The Collier covers I've mentioned are available for 99p downloads from both iTunes and Amazon and I'd be genuinely astounded if the "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" version in particular isn't up for a Grammy nomination.

Here's to a bright future kid and don't listen to the four sides of Yes' "Tapes From Topographic Oceans" whatever you do…

"Making Time: A SHEL TALMY Production" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (April 2017 UK Ace Records CD Compilation of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Night Comes Down..."

What you have here is a Chicago Yank who came to England in the summer of 1962 at the age of 25 - produced some of the most hard-hitting and instantly recognisable Pop & Rock rockers in the mid Sixties (The Kinks and The Who) as well as genre-changers like Roy Harper, Pentangle and even an early Mod-Freakbeat David Bowie (credited under his real name Davy Jones) - and then re-exported those angry young men to the States.

"Making Time: A SHEL TALMY Production" is yet another superb CD compilation from England's Ace Records concentrating on Producers, their influence, forgotten musical history and continuing legacy. Compiled by Soul and Mod boy expert and long-time Ace associate ALEC PALAO with huge contributions from Shel and Jan Talmy - the 28-page booklet for starters is a total feast for fans and music historians alike. Crammed to the gills with sheet music, letters from LHI Records (Lee Hazelwood's company), calling card for his own short-lived but much revered Planet Records, April 1965 tape boxes for the Who's Brunswick Records classic "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", invoices to Pye for recording The Kinks and even an Acetate for Davy Jones and Test Pressing for The Rokes – there is a lot to take in...

Musically (as these things always are) it's a mixed bag. The big coup is a Previously Unreleased Version of Bowie's own "You've Got A Habit Of Leaving Me" with wilder fuzz guitars and bass where David Robert Jones of Bromley Kent discovers his inner Freakbeat - and in great audio too. Some may treat the track as a curio - but I'd say it's a bit of a find. Speaking of overall sound - although some like the chipper Billy J. Kramer bop of "Caroline" by The Fortunes, the Mamas and Papas identikit "A Certain Girl" from The First Gear, the girl-group angst of "Surrender" by Perpetual Langley and the Byrds jangle of "Stop And Watch The Children Play" by The Rokes are all so very Sixties Pop - many of the songs presented here are more hard-hitting than that.

As you wade through the list - you notice a kind of hard-edged drum-based R&B sound that was identifiably Talmy - bands like The Creation, The Who and The Kinks. The others run the gamut from the catchy-as-a-cold Trini Lopez hit "Sinner Not A Saint" (an early songwriting credit for Talmy) to Roy Harper’s hipster acoustic cool of "Ageing Raver" and fantastic B-sides like The Sneeker's "Bald Headed Woman" and Mickey Finn's "Night Comes Down" - clearly worth every penny of its £100 price tag in the 2018 Record Collector Price Guide. On top of that you get pure Mod Dancers like "Drowning in My Own Despair" by Oliver Norman where you can literally see the talcum powder being showered on the wooden floor as young British men in winklepickers are unable to resist its angst-ridden Motown backbeat.

With NICK ROBBINS Remasters and 7 of the 25 tracks in STEREO (all others MONO, see list below) - the audio also rocks. Here are bald-headed details...

UK released 26 May 2017 (9 June 2017 in the USA) - "Making Time: A SHEL TALMY Production" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDCHD 1497 (Barcode 029667079020) is a 25-track CD compilation (18 Mono, 7 Stereo) of Remasters that plays out as follows (71:34 minutes):

1. Making Time - THE CREATION (June 1966 UK 7" single on Planet Records PLF 116, A-side)

2. Bald Headed Woman - THE SNEEKERS (October 1964 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7385, B-side to "I Just Can't Go To Sleep")

3. Semi-Detached Suburban Mr. James - MANFRED MANN (October 1966 UK 7" single on Mercury TF 757, A-side)

4. That's Why I Love You - GOLDIE & THE GINGERBREADS (April 1965 UK 7" single on Decca F 12126, A-side)

5. Tired Of Waiting For You - THE KINKS (January 1965 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15759, A-side)

6. Bye Babe - LEE HAZELWOOD (from the 1969 US LP "Forty" on LHI Records S 12009 - a co-write between Talmy and Jon Mark later of Mark-Almond and Sweet Thursday)

7. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere - THE WHO (May 1965 UK 7" single on Brunswick 05935, A-side)

8. Night Comes Down - THE MICKEY FINN (March 1965 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 7510, B-side of "The Sporting Life")

9. Light Flight (Theme From "Take Three Girls") - THE PENTANGLE (October 1969 UK 7" single on Big T Records BIG 128, A-side)

10. Stop And Watch The Children Play - THE ROKES (from a 1966 Spanish LP "The Rokes" on VIK Records VIK 3021)

11. A Certain Girl - THE FIRST GEAR (October 1964 UK 7" single on Pye 7N 15703, A-side)

12. Surrender - PERPETUAL LANGLEY (May 1966 UK 7" single on Planet Records PLF 115, A-side)

13. You've Got A Habit Of Leaving - DAVY JONES [David Bowie] - Previously Unissued Alternate Overdub from 1965

14. Ageing Raver - ROY HARPER (from his January 1968 debut LP "Come Out Fighting Genghis Smith" on CBS Records S 63184)

15. Lisa - THE EASYBEATS - Previously Unissued Alternate Version - Recorded 1967

16. Daddy Long Legs - LINDSAY MUIR'S UNTAMED (June 1966 UK 7" single on Planet Records PLF 113, A-side)

17. A Summer Song - CHAD & JEREMY (July 1964 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1062, A-side)

18. Jack O' Diamonds - BEN CARRUTHERS & THE DEEP (June 1965 UK7" single on Parlophone R 5295, A-side)

19. Toymaker - WILD SILK (January 1969 UK 7" single on Columbia DB 8534, B-side to "(Vision In A) Plaster Sky")

20. I'm Coming Home - THE NASHVILLE TEENS (March 1967 UK 7" single on Decca F 12580, A-side)

21. Caroline - THE FORTUNES (January 1964 UK 7" single on Decca F 11809, A-side)

22. Drowning In My Own Despair - OLIVER NORMAN (July 1967 UK 7" single on Polydor 56176, A-side)

23. I Don't Need Your Kind - THE ROCKIN' VICKERS (October 1966 UK 7" single on CBS Records 202241, A-side)

24. Jamie Sue - TIM ROSE (from his 1970 US album "Love, A Kind Of Hate Story" on Capitol Records ST 673)

25. Sinner Not A Saint - TRINI LOPEZ (1962 US 7" single on DRA Records 315, A-side)

Tracks 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14 and 24 are in STEREO – all others are in MONO

Tracks 13 and 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.

Pages 16 and 17 of the booklet features a fab black and white of a young Bowie looking skinny-tie Mod and in need of a good meal - itself sat above the staggeringly rare I.B.C. Sound Recording Studios Acetate for Davy Jones - while over on the other side is a photo of the Spanish "Rokes" LP. I can safely say I've never seen either of these in decades of frequenting dens of vinyl inequity. Other rarities include the Ray Davies track "I Don't Need Your Kind" by The Rockin' Vikers and a dapper Roy Harper staring out at us all on the rear cover of his debut LP - no doubt thinking about calling up Jimmy Page for "Stormcock" in 1971.

I love sheer adventurousness and future-feel to Pentangle's brilliant "Light Flight" - but I find Tim Rose's "Jamie Sue" hard to take. Not all of the tracks are brill by any means (that Easybeats unreleased version should probably have stared in the tins) - but there's still plenty on here to get the juices of even the most jaded 60ts fan flowing. And it's beautifully presented too.

Another CD winner from those upstanding dudes and dudettes over at Steel Road - I'm already 'making time' for Volume 2...

"Hold Your Fire" by PATTO (April 2017 Esoteric Recordings 'Expanded Edition' 2CD Reissue with 13 Bonus Tracks and Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...High On Glory Seeds..."

A little background first. PATTO arose out of the ashes of a 60ts band called TIMEBOX from Stockport in Lancashire - singer Mike Patto, Bassist Clive Griffiths, Drummer John 'Admiral' Halsey and super guitarist Pete 'Ollie' Halsall. TIMEBOX never did get an album out but they landed seven rare and desirable 45s in the UK - two on Piccadilly and five on Deram. One of these British sevens was a minor hit - a cover of The Four Seasons "Beggin'" that peaked at No. 38 on the British singles charts in July 1968.

But as the Progressive Rock boom began to take over in the late Sixties - the four ex-Timebox boys wanted to move on from the restrictions of Pop and formed PATTO - signing to the then emerging label for all things Prog and eclectic - Vertigo. They made three albums in total - two for Vertigo and one for Island - none of which sold jack. Their debut "Patto" hit the streets of Blighty in November 1970 on Vertigo 6360 016 (February 1971 in the USA), the second "Hold Your Fire" in November 1971 on Vertigo 6360 032 (January 1972 in the USA with different artwork) and the final "Roll 'Em Smoke 'Em Put Out Another Line" in October 1972 on Island ILPS 9210. All are listed vinyl rarities in the 2018 Record Collector Price Guide valued at £300, £500 and £60 respectively.

I’ve already reviewed the debut "Patto" – also released 28 April 2017 in an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster... Which brings us to this long-overdue, superbly presented and band endorsed 'Expanded Edition' double-CD Remaster of their second platter "Hold Your Fire" brought to us panting and ranting by those guardians of all things Avant and Prog - England's Esoteric Recordings. Here are the screaming spirals...

UK released Friday, 28 April 2017 (5 May 2017 in the USA) - "Hold Your Fire" by PATTO on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 22582 (Barcode 5013929468245) is an 'Expanded Edition' 2CD Remaster of their 1971 second studio album on Vertigo Records (8-Tracks) with 13 Additional Bonus Tracks (including Previously Unreleased Album Outtakes and 1971 BBC Radio 1 Sessions) that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (51:28 minutes):

1. Hold Your Fire [Side 1]

2. You, You Point Your Finger

3. How’s Your Father

4. See You At The Dance Tonight

5. Give It All Away [Side 2]

6. Air Raid Shelter

7. Tell Me Where You've Been

8. Magic Door

Tracks 1 to 8 are their second album "Hold Your Fire" - released November 1971 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 032 and January 1972 in the USA on Vertigo VEL-1008 (in different gatefold artwork). Produced by MUFF WINWOOD - it didn't chart in either country.

BONUS TRACKS:

9. Beat The Drum

10. Bad News

Tracks 9 and 10 Recorded & Mixed at Island Studios, London, 4 May 1971. Although Demo Versions of these two tracks appeared as two of three bonus tracks on the October 2010 Japanese SHM-CD (Vertigo UICY-94681) for "Hold Your Fire" – Esoteric Recordings have copyrighted these recordings as 2017 and in their website blurbs on the album have called these finished but different versions 'Previously Unreleased'.

Disc 2 - BBC Sessions & Out-Takes (59:12 minutes):

1. San Antone

2. Government Man

3. Beat The Drum

4. Sittin' Back Easy

5. So Cold 

Tracks 1 to 5 recorded 4 March 1971 for a BBC Radio One "In Concert"

6. Give It All Away

7. Air Raid Shelter

8. You, You Point Your Finger

Tracks 6 to 8 recorded 28 June 1971 for a BBC Radio One "Sounds Of The 70t's" session

9. Don’t Shoot Me ("Hold Your Fire")

10. Give It All Away (Alternative Version)

11. Air Raid Shelter (Alternative Version)

Tracks 9 to 11 Recorded and Mixed 29 July 1971 at Island Studios, London

The 20-page booklet is festooned with ticket stubs, trade adverts and reviews, gig flyers where they played with the likes of Stackridge, Rod Stewart And The Faces, Centipede and May Blitz, the different gatefold artwork to the US copy on Vertigo VEL-1008, black and white and colour photos of the band from the period and the three standing creatures drawn by Roger Dean that could only be viewed by pulling back the three flaps of the front sleeve (the original vinyl album in the UK came in lavish artwork). There are detailed and informative liner notes from noted writer SID SMITH that feature candid reminiscences from drummer John Halsey about the band and the sadly passed/much admired Ollie Halsall (he died in 1992). And Esoteric have smartly repro’d the lyrics that were on the inner gatefold sleeve too. The CDs are pictures disc (front cover) and the inlay beneath the tray is the underneath cover beneath the flaps mentioned above. It’s all very tastefully done and true to the original issues.  

But the big news is the really clean and clear audio for what has always been perceived as a lo-fi production. To my knowledge there have been three CD reissues of this album before – Akarma out of Italy in 2002, Repertoire out of Germany in 2004 and one of those natty SHM-CDs in a card-repro sleeve out of Japan on Universal in 2010 (part of the 'British Vintage Rock Masterpiece Collection' series). But this amazingly is the first time a British label has had a go – Cherry Red’s Esoteric Recordings and with the full support of surviving band members. And typically they've done a bang up job - a new Remaster from original tapes by Audio Engineer BEN WISEMAN – someone who has handled loads of these Reissues.

A word about the music first - although the Vertigo label was largely associated with all things Prog Rock - "Patto" were way more Humble Pie than May Blitz - more Faces circa their second album "Long Player" than the Jazz Rock of say Beggars Opera. Most of their self-titled debut LP played like Hard Rock - Bluesy in places too. The second "Hold Your Fire" is way more sedate, measured and to use that old cheddar chestnut - mature. And a smart move too on the part of Esoteric is to reproduce the lyrics that dominate the sentiments of every song and are incredibly smart and hip. Check these out in "You, You Point Your Finger" where Mike Patto lashes out at accusers - "...You, you call me a junkie, call me filth and scum, keep me from your daughter, but my time will come..." and "...You, you think you're civilised, with your connections you can't fail, but you treat your wife and family, like you bought them in a sale..." By the same token he's not afraid to send up his own kind - take a jab at silliness and hypocrisy amidst his own generation - how about these from many rhyming couplets in the superb opener "Hold Your Fire" - "...well my skin turned yellow and my eyes sunk back from my diet of boiled brown rice...I would shuffle past bright warm houses to my groove pad cold as ice..." and "...I've smoked a ton of marijuana, I sat crossed-legged till my legs went numb...I made peace signs at the farmers when they called me no good bum... " Nice one son.

A change comes with the languid and almost soulful "How’s Your Father" – a slow piano pace accompanies Patto lyrics about being on the road and having to connect with the right people (don’t get in the way). Halsall plays some fluid guitar during a very Steely Dan solo moment. Things go all Faces with "See You At The Dance Tonight" – Halsall and his guitar sound not unlike Ronnie Wood playing cool and loose. And then just when you got used to the eight-minute songs with a social conscience – you get the pure experimentation and Jazz Rock of "Air Raid Shelter" over on Side 2. Patto scats lyrics while Halsall goes all John McLaughlin on the Guitar as cymbals clash and the Bass player thinks he’s auditioning for the Miles Davis touring band. The album finishes on a genuine high. With its cymbals and vibes backdrop - "Magic Door" feels the most BASF track on the album – sophisticated Rock with Jazz hints - Patto in fantastic vocal form with the band joining him on the ‘are you real’ chorus in truly lovely harmony vocals. You’re left with an abiding impression - definitely not your average Rock & Roll band – and a shockingly good ending to a mature and confident album. Why didn’t it get better sales?

The extras will be exciting to fans that have waited the guts of 40 years for these rarities in proper audio and not bootleg. The two out-takes on Disc 1 - "Beat The Drum" and "Bad News" – simply feel like lesser versions of "Magic Door" – even if they are beautifully rendered here. Those looking for signs of Halsall will go straight to Disc 2. John Peel wryly introduces Patto to the ‘in the studio’ audience (Produced by Jeff Griffin) – the band launching into a cool and rocking "San Antone" sounding not unlike Family on a good night. You immediately notice his playing that you feel is only getting by the minute. Peel cracks jokes before he introduces another track from the debut "Patto" – and before a very laid back but sweet "Sittin’ Back Easy" he introduces the band as a five-piece (Bernie Holland supplementing as second guitarist while Halsall handles lead and the vibes). Luckily it has great audio and is a genuinely cool Bonus Track. In fact you’d have to say that the whole of Disc 2 puts the reissue up there.

Properly decent CD reissues - great audio, better presentation and genuinely complimentary bonuses. Well done to all the cats at Esoteric Recordings for putting these out there again and honouring Halsall's recorded legacy in such style...

PATTO on 2017 Esoteric Recordings 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissues & Remasters

Also reissued 28 April 2017 is their first Vertigo vinyl platter from November 1970 called "Patto" but as a single-CD 'Expanded Edition' remaster with three Bonus Tracks on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2581 (Barcode 5013929468146).

On 26 May 2017 you got their third album "Roll 'Em Smoke 'Em Put Out Another Line" from 1972 on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2586 (Barcode 5013929468641) with three Bonus Tracks (a Peel Session from 24 January 1973).

26 May 2017 also saw their aborted fourth album recorded in 1973 called "Monkey's Bum" reissued by Esoteric and again as an 'Expanded Edition' CD on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2587 (Barcode 5013929468740). It will be the first 'official' release of the album sanctioned by the remaining members of the band and include three Previously Unreleased tracks – sessions recorded for John Peel's BBC Radio One show on 13 February 1973 with the original line-up...

"Walls And Bridges" by JOHN LENNON (November 2005 EMI/Apple 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Whatever Gets You Through The Night..."

I remember a review I read a few years ago that rubbished practically all of John Lennon's solo catalogue. The guy was pretty adamant and compared McCartney's prolific output to Lennon and especially the chart success and public affection that seemed to come so easy to Macca in the Seventies.

The gist of his argument was that apart from some great stand-alone singles and a few choice album tracks - you could barely fill one CD full of decent songs by Dr. Winston O'Boogie. Ludicrously harsh I thought. But if I'm completely truthful and like most lifetime fans filled with affection for the greatly missed Liverpudlian - I know from painful album-by-album purchase-experience just where this guy's constant disappointment in JL is coming from.

Before we get to "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" in 1970 and "Imagine" in 1971 - I found most of the preceding stuff unlistenable cack – and still do. And as I was also trying to give the largely dreadful double-album "Some Time In New York City" from 1972 another chance when I was reading his critique article (apart from maybe "John Sinclair" and "Angela" - the rest of it is ponderous and drab - and don't start me on that rubbish live disc) - my heart sank. Maybe the guy's got a point.

But then you come to 1973's strangely overlooked "Mind Games" and 1974's upbeat and deeply accessible "Walls And Bridges" – and things improve immeasurably. "Walls And Bridges" especially has some fantastic Lennon tracks on it – ably abetted by the talent of Guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, Klaus Voorman on Bass, Jim Keltner on Drums, Bobby Keys on Sax and famous pals Elton John and Nilsson on Piano and Backing Vocals. But as fans our woes don't end there. Since his horrible loss in December 1980 – we've had to deal with his stuff reissued several times on CD and I personally thought the 2005 reissues did a superb job. So enough was enough already...

But now along comes Yoko Ono in 2010 and once again with her endless meddling in his legacy - what does she do - she strips away the 2005 Bonus Tracks and great sound and gives us the albums bare. They're housed in glossy gatefold card sleeves that look nice but are functionally useless and even downright irritating. There's a new booklet for sure but not much else of worth. But the bottom line is that these have ended up feeling like new versions that offer us less and not more or better. 

So I decided to ditch the admittedly pretty-looking October 2010 'John Lennon Signature Collection' version (EMI/Apple 5099990650826 - Barcode is the same) and go back to that November 2005 EMI issue because frankly I prefer its sound and the extras are something I want to keep and not lose. In fact I'd going to argue that in this case - the version you need is already out there. Here are the number nine dreams...

UK released November 2005 - "Walls And Bridges" by JOHN LENNON on EMI/Apple 340 9712 (Barcode 0094634097123) is an 'Expanded Edition' with Three Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (59:26 minutes):

1. Going Down On Love [Side 1]
2. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
3. Old Dirt Road
4. What You Got
5. Bless You
6. Scared
7. No. 9 Dream [Side 2]
8. Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)
9. Steel And Glass
10. Beef Jerky
11. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)
12. Ya Ya
Tracks 1 to 12 are his studio album "Walls And Bridges" - released October 1974 in the UK on Apple PCTC 253 and in the USA on Apple SW-3416. Produced by JOHN LENNON - it peaked at No. 6 in the UK and No. 1 in the USA.

BONUS TRACKS:
13. Whatever Gets You Through The Night (Live)
14. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out) (Alternate Version)
15. John Interview (Conducted by Bob Mercer in 1974)
Track 13 first appeared in March 1981 in the UK on DJM Records DJS 10965 on the 3-track 2 x 7” EP "28th November 1974" credited to ELTON JOHN featuring JOHN LENNON and The Muscle Shoals Horns. Recorded live at Madison Square Garden in New York, 28 November 1974
Tracks 14 and 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

The 12-page booklet makes an admittedly ham-fisted effort as reproducing the beautiful 'flaps' artwork of the original 1974 LP. We get the Lennon and glasses photos (looking the best he ever did) - the early drawings of his teachers and pupils he did at school - the lyrics and the Lennon surname discussed that was on the inner sleeve and the usual musician credits and reissue details. There's a picture CD with the 'Listen To This Disc/Record' banner that they used advertising the LP all those decades ago. But there's no new liner notes or history/legacy of the American No. 1 album, which is disappointing.

However - I'm loving the new Audio. All of the titles have been newly remixed in 2005 except Tracks 3, 5, 6 and 11 - newly remastered in 2005. A team of experts associated with The Beatles catalogue has handled the Audio transfers at Abbey Road Studios - Remix Engineer PETER COBBIN, Assistant Engineer MIREK STILES, Mastering Engineer STEVE ROOKE with further input from ALLAN ROUSE and PAUL HICKS. The album sounds fab. To the music...

In his typically cryptic and witty manner - JL credits himself as no less than nine different musicians across 12 tracks - Dr. Winston O'Ghurkin playing guitar alongside Jesse Ed Davis on the cool opener "Going Down On Love" - Rev. Thumbs Ghurkin playing piano with Nicky Hopkins on "Old Dirt Road" - Kaptain Kundalini playing lead guitar n "What You Got" while Rev. Fred Ghurkin and Dr. Dream play acoustic guitar on "Bless You" and "No. 9 Dream". Other notable contributions comes from Harry Nilsson who sings backing vocals on the lovely "Old Dirt Road" while Elton John mucks in with backing vocals on two - "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" and "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)". The house band consisted of long-standing sessionmen - Jim Keltner on Drums with Arthur Jenkins on Percussion, Klaus Voorman on Bass, Nicky Hopkins on Piano and the real heroes of the album - ace guitarists Jesse Ed Davis (Taj Mahal and the Bangladesh concert) and Eddie Mottau throughout. Bobby Keyes of Stones fame and other horn players feature also. His son Julian Lennon even gets a look on the short and frankly dismissible cover of Lloyd Price's "Ya Ya" that ends the LP on two-minutes on piano self-indulgence.

In order to promote the lavishly packaged album - Apple launched the frantic bop of "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" with the throwaway instrumental "Beef Jerky" on its B-side as a 45 on both sides of the pond in September 1974. It worked - the single went all the way to No. 1 on the US Pop charts (Apple 1874) whilst hitting a more sedated No. 36 in the UK (Apple R 5998). I have to say that the whole of Side 1 works for me - it's all coherent and good. The beautiful "Old Dirt Road" (a co-write with Harry Nilsson) feels almost like a George Harrison song in its construction (could have been a killer alternate single to "No. 9 Dream") - while the funky Rock of "What You Got" has a wicked backbeat and tremendous rasping lead vocals. The floating Paul Simon soundscapes of "Bless You" feel like "Still Crazy After All These Years" one year before PS's album - while "Scared" is lead in by a wolf howling at the moon before an incessant beat drums home the message of emotional fear that seemed to dominate every day of his existence (lovely Sax solo too from Howard Johnson).

"No. 9 Dream" with its strings and "Across The Universe" foreign language chorus was the obvious second single from the LP - Apple R 6003 peaking at No. 23 in the UK and Apple 1878 making No. 9 in the USA in January 1975. Personally I prefer the brassy and upbeat "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)" and the truly brilliant "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)" is the best track on the album for me. The New York tan and talk of "Steel And Glass" feels almost like a Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" ballad - great string arrangements as the big production values hammer home those acidic lyrics. "Beef Jerky" is pure filler and the quirky piano duet between him and Julian ends the album on a strangely throwaway moment. But then we get some seriously great Bonus Tracks – least not of all is a fantastic stripped-down Acoustic take of "Nobody Loves You (When You’re Down And Out)" – Lennon sounding truly bare and raw. It’s beautifully reproduced too. The interview is fun – Lennon talking about the green card issues – name-checking his musicians on the album – urging Capitol in his own jokey way to get behind the album (they did).

"Walls And Bridges" is a great John Lennon album and those extras are actually worth owning.

"...Was magic in the air?" – he asked on "No. 9 Dream". Yes it was and we still miss you for it...