No Ken, No Jay, and Sucking In the '70's

Yo Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone – Roma Sinfonietta

It really doesn’t matter that the cellist is Yo Yo Ma…what matters here is the brilliance of Ennio Morricone, both as a composer and arranger. He is one of a select few whose film scores are as powerful without the visual as when you are watching the movie. Even if you don’t know the music is from a movie, or the title of the track, you know the inspiration for “Death’s Theme” and “Journey” is someone dying. The other star here is the Roma Sinfonietta…it’s very hard to beat beautiful melodies, like “The Dinner”, “The Nocturne”, “Deborah’s Theme” and others in full symphony orchestra with all the texture that offers, and when you combine it with the emotionally stirring compositions of Morricone, it’s a 5.

Warren Haynes – Man in Motion

Soulful. And absolutely heartfelt in tracks like “Save Me” and “Your Wildest Dreams”, where for me it’s almost like listening Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. It’s no surprise that the lead work is inventive, fun and technically outstanding. What is a surprise is the depth of vocal emotion in this solo album from a singer/guitarist who isn’t really known for his vocals. This is great Sunday morning listening…4.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Couldn’t Stand the Weather

It’s funny…this would have gotten at least a half point more had I not listened to Warren Haynes first. I’m very familiar with this album and listening in comparison to soulful blues with great guitar work forces the realization that SRV is like the EVH of blues…way too many notes that, while technically amazing, don’t add up one of B.B. King’s string bends. And the vocals are “weak sauce” compared to other straight ahead blues singers. It’s only a 3 instead of a 2 ½ because of how he died.

Thea Gilmore – John Wesley Harding

It’s very difficult to cover Dylan and bring something exciting to it. It’s even more difficult if you’re a girl. Even Joan Baez couldn’t get it done. I think Thea Gilmore nails it on this CD. The tracks are reimagined (not like Brian Wilson reimagined Gershwin, either) and well played, each fresh in its own way without either paying too much homage or be too far a field from what Dylan gave us with this album. And while it’s not exactly Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower” or Joe Cocker’s “Dear Landlord”, she was smart enough to keep her version of Watchtower short and sweet. All in all, it’s a solid effort, and her voice is pretty good, too. 3 ½

The Mavericks – Trampoline

Throw Freddie Fender, Miami Sound Machine and a lot of pop influences in a blender, and this is probably what comes out. Trampoline is aptly named, as I would bounce up
and down during listening to click ahead since after the first 2:00 of many of these songs, as they don’t change much dynamically out of the box. I did enjoy songs like “Tell Me Why” much more than “Melbourne Mambo” or “Delores”, which were pretty far away from the pop/country leanings of the early tracks on the CD. 2 ½.

GH – Stiff Records

Back in the day, they had a slogan, “If it ain’t stiff, it ain’t worth a fuck. Well, these are all worth a fuck…Jay did a great job cherry picking from the stiff box set…it was especially fun hearing “Police Car” and “I Belong to the Blank Generation” again.


Topic – Top 15 Albums of the 1970s…here we go…chronologically.

1. Derek and the Dominoes – Lalya. The best album of anguish over a woman ever.

2. Sticky Fingers – Rolling Stones.

3. B.B. King – Live in Cook County Jail

4. Led Zeppelin IV

5. The Who – Who’s Next

6. John Lennon – Imagine

7. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

8. The Allman Brothers – Brothers and Sisters

9. Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill

10. Queen - A Night at the Opera

11. Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks

12. Ramones - Ramones

13. Darkness on the Edge of Town – Bruce Springsteen.

14. Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps

15. The Clash – The Clash

There’s a whole second tier of 15-30 from many of the same artists…Hunky Dory could easily replace Rise and Fall…, Harvest and Tonight's the Night are neck and neck with RNS…Wild and Innocent could replace Darkness…3 or 4 Dylan albums could be here…Pretzel Logic….Eat a Peach…Who Are You…you get the idea.