CAMEL - THE SNOW GOOSE 1975

Following the relative success of Mirage, Camel decided to embark on that staple of prog rock, the concept album. When they were finished, they produced an instrumental one that holds together quite well. The Snow Goose (technically, the title is legally Music Inspired By The Snow Goose) is a beautiful work of prog grandeur, one that lovers of melodic prog should enjoy.

The story for this disc comes from a short book of the same name (hence the "legal" title). It basically has something to do with an isolated hunchback, a little girl, and a wounded (surprise!) Canadian snow goose. To get the full story, see Eric Porter's review below. Knowing nothing of the story when I first listened to this album, I can say that the plot isn't essential to enjoying the work.

Put simply, this album is a great blend of acoustic and electric guitar work, beautiful melodic keyboard work, accented by the occasional orchestral moment. It is a lush work, well orchestrated. Some of the most interesting non band work, however, is the chamber wind ensemble feel of "Friendship". Where was this when I was a high school clarinet player?

The only downfall here is that the music very rarely hits any emotional high points for me. The closest is probably the buildup of "Dunkirk". Nothing really reaches out and grabs me, tho'. But that's a relatively small nit. There is plenty of great music going on here, particularly if you can just sit back and take it in.

review by Jon Byrne

Tracks :

1. The Great Marsh — 2.02
2. Rhayader — 3.01
3. Rhayader Goes To Town — 5.20
4. Sanctuary — 1.05
5. Fritha — 1.19
6. The Snow Goose — 3.12
7. Friendship — 1.44
8. Migration — 2.01
9. Rhayader Alone — 1.50
10. Flight Of The Snow Goose — 2.40
11. Preparation — 3.58
12. Dunkirk — 5.19
13. Epitaph — 2.07
14. Fritha Alone — 1.40
15. La Princesse Perdue — 4.44
16. The Great Marsh — 1.20

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Artwork Included

DOC HOLLIDAY - RIDES AGAIN 1981

Although they shared the stage with some of the bigger names during Southern rock's '70s heyday, Doc Holliday never quite managed to reach that level, but has managed to make a name for itself with fans of the genre. The band's origin can be traced back to 1971 when guitarist and lead singer Bruce Brookshire formed a blues band called Roundhouse with his brother. By the end of the decade, Roundhouse had gained the attention of Molly Hatchet's manager, setting into play circumstances that would see the band, now rechristened Doc Holliday, secure a deal with A&M Records in 1980. Featuring a lineup of Brookshire, guitarist Rick Skelton, keyboard player Eddie Stone, bass player John Samuelson, and drummer Herman Nixon, their self-titled debut was released the following year. They continued to cultivate an audience with the follow-up, Doc Holliday Rides Again, sharing bills with acts ranging from Black Sabbath and Loverboy to Gregg Allman and Molly Hatchet. However, working with producer Mack (Billy Squier, Queen) for their third album, Modern Medicine, proved to exacerbate tensions within the group. The resulting album, which saw the group try and incorporate early '80s rock into its sound, failed miserably, costing Doc Holliday its record deal and causing the band to split up. However, they would reunite for 1986's Danger Zone (which found them returning to their roots) and continue to record and tour throughout the '80s and into the '90s, although most of the band's focus would shift to European markets that were proving to be more receptive during this period. In 1999, their first three albums were re-released, including their first-time issuances on CD. Brookshire released a solo album, The Damascus Road, in 2001, which was a departure to an acoustic-based record that reflected his burgeoning Christian beliefs. However, as the common thread, Brookshire continued to keep Doc Holliday together and the group released A Better Road later that same year. ~ Tom Demalon, All Music Guide

Tracks :

1. Last Ride
2. Good Boy Gone Bad
3. Don't Go Talkin'
4. Southern Man
5. Let Me Be Your Lover
6. Doin' (It Again)
7. Don't Stop Loving Me
8. Hot Rod
9. Lonesome Guitar


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Artwork Included

DOC HOLLIDAY - DOC HOLLIDAY 1981

Doc Holliday is from the State of Georgia, where Southern rock began with the legendary Allman Brothers Band. The group was signed to A&M records in 1980, and shot to world-wide attention in 1981 when their debut album “DOC HOLLIDAY” entered the Billboard charts in the top 30. They quickly began to receive the attention of the European music press, and the second album “DOC HOLLIDAY RIDES AGAIN” was a worldwide success. It contains the Southern rock classic ‘Lonesome Guitar’, a hit in the tradition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's ‘Freebird’.

In 1983, the band released their third album. “MODERN MEDICINE” was an experiment, mixing the modern rock sounds of the 80’s with Southern rock. It was a failure.During this whirlwind three-year period, Doc Holliday played 250 shows a year, sharing the bill with acts like Black Sabbath, Molly Hatchet, Charlie Daniels, Gregg Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Blackfoot, April Wine, Loverboy and more. The band played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Santa Monica Civic Center in Los Angeles, and in most major cities in between.

The pace of touring and the lack of acceptance for “MODERN MEDICINE” contributed to the band’s breakup in 1984. After some time off to reflect and regroup, Doc Holliday was reformed for the 1986 European release “DANGER ZONE” on the Metal Masters label.

In 1989, the band recorded its fifth album “SONG FOR THE OUTLAW-LIVE”, now considered a “must have” classic for any Southern rock fan. During the 90’s, the group began to tour Europe extensively.

The next album “SON OF THE MORNING STAR” came out in the Fall of 1993, and the band continued to tour Europe. In 1994, “SON OF THE MORNING STAR” came out in the U.S.

In 1996, the seventh CD “LEGACY” was released to critical acclaim worldwide, but the group began to tour less and less.

In 1999 the first three LPs, “DOC HOLLIDAY”, “DOC HOLLIDAY RIDES AGAIN” and “MODERN MEDICINE” were re-released by A&M (the first time on compact disc) and the band decided to tour Europe again.

Doc Holliday started the new millennium off with a show in Berlin, at the largest New Year’s Eve party in the world, with 2.5 million people in attendance. The Europe 2000 Tour followed. In the spring of 2000, the band was voted into the Gritz.net Southern Rock Hall Of Fame.

In 2001 Bruce Brookshire released his first solo CD “THE DAMASCUS ROAD”, an album of original acoustic-based Christian music. Bruce, along with band members Daniel Ford and Danny Lastinger performed ministry shows at churches in Europe and the U.S. and at Christian music festivals like Memphis Fest and the Cornerstone Festival.

In 2001 Halycon Music reissued the classic Doc LP’s “DANGER ZONE” and “SONG FOR THE OUTLAW-LIVE” with digital remastering and bonus tracks added to each CD. At the end of 2001, Halycon released the CD, “A BETTER ROAD” to wide critical acclaim. The 2002 Summer “A Better Road” European Tour included dates in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden.

In the summer of 2003, Phoenix Records in Hamburg released a compilation called “GUNFIGHTER-The Best Of The 90’s”, and in the fall the band released it’s 10th album, “GOOD TIME MUSIC” on Phoenix. Doc Holliday toured Europe in November of 2003 and also in July of 2004 in support of “GOOD TIME MUSIC”.

In 2006, Phoenix Records released “REBEL SOULS", a collection of cover songs from diverse sources like The Beatles, The Marshall Tucker Band and Bad Company that were chosen to reveal some of the musical influences of this Southern rock powerhouse. The band’s 25th Anniversary Tour of Europe in the summer of 2006 saw Doc Holliday performing for fans from Scandinavia, the U.K., Belgium, France and Germany. The label and the band chose the resulting CD, titled "25 ABSOLUTELY LIVE", from over 100 live tracks that were recorded during the tour. The CD represents Southern rock at it's best, with no overdubs or additional tracking done. "What the audience heard is what you get on this CD," said Bruce Brookshire. "I think Tom Hallek and his crew at Phoenix Records did a great job of mixing and caring for those tracks". The band continues to tour sporadically in Europe, but aside from charity shows, very rarely makes an appearance in the US.

Tracks :

01. Ain't No Fool (4:05)
02. Magic Midnight (3:40)
03. A Good Woman's Hard To Find (4:18)
04. Round And Round (2:55)
05. Moonshine Runner (4:30)
06. Keep On Running (4:27)
07. Never Another Night (4:08)
08. The Way You Do (3:54)
09. Somebody Help Me (3:08)
10. I'm A Rocker (3:02)
11. Bad Love (Demo, Bonus Track) (3:43)
12. Crazy (Demo, Bonus Track) (3:09)

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Artwork Included

DEEP PURPLE - FIREBALL 1971

One of Deep Purple's four indispensable albums (the others being In Rock, Machine Head, and Burn), 1971's Fireball saw the band broadening out from the no-holds-barred hard rock direction of the previous year's cacophonous In Rock. Metal machine noises introduced the sizzling title track -- an unusually compact but explosively tight group effort on which Jon Lord's organ truly shined. The somewhat tiring repetitions of "No No No" actually threatened to drop the ball next, but the fantastic single "Strange Kind of Woman" nimbly caught and set it rolling again, just in time for the innuendo-encrusted hilarity of "Anyone's Daughter," featuring one of singer Ian Gillan's first (and still best) humorous storylines to go with one of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's most uncharacteristic, bluesiest performances ever. "The Mule" opened the vinyl album's second side with what is perhaps Purple's finest instrumental, and on the hyper-extended "Fools," the bandmembers proved they could flirt with progressive rock without plunging off its cliff (although the song could probably have done without its drawn-out middle section). And closing the album was the exceptional "No One Came," where intertwining instrumental lines locked together beautifully, Gillan wove another entertaining yarn that was part autobiography and part Monty Python, and the often underrated skills of drummer Ian Paice helped the song sound so unreservedly fresh and intuitive that one could almost be convinced the band had winged it on the spot. Sure, the following year's Machine Head would provide Deep Purple with their commercial peak, but on Fireball, the formidable quintet was already firing on all cylinders. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide

Tracks :

01 Fireball
02 No No No
03 Demon's Eye
04 Anyone's Daughter
05 The Mule
06 Fools
07 No One Came
08 Strange Kind Of Woman
09 I'm Alone
10 Freedom
11 Slow Train
12 The Noise...

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Artwork Included

DEEP PURPLE - SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE 1968

The usual perception of early Deep Purple is that it was a band with a lot of potential in search of a direction. And that might be true of their debut LP, put together in three days of sessions in May of 1968, but it's still a hell of an album. From the opening bars of "And the Address," it's clear that they'd gotten down the fundamentals of heavy metal from day one, and at various points the electricity and the beat just surge forth in ways that were startlingly new in the summer of 1968. Ritchie Blackmore never sounded less at ease as a guitarist than he does on this album, and the sound mix doesn't exactly favor the heavier side of his playing, but the rhythm section of Nick Simper and Ian Paice rumble forward, and Jon Lord's organ flourishes, weaving classical riffs, and unexpected arabesques into "I'm So Glad," which sounds rather majestic here.
"Hush" was the number that most people knew at the time (it was a hit single in America), and it is a smooth, crunchy interpretation of the Joe South song. But nobody could have been disappointed with the rest of this record -- one can even hear the very distant origins of "Smoke on the Water" in "Mandrake Root," once one gets past the similarities to Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady"; by the song's extended finale, they sound more like the Nice. Their version of "Help" is one of the more interesting reinterpretations of a Beatles song, as a slow, rough-textured dirge.

"Hey Joe" is a bit overblown, and the group clearly had to work a bit at both songwriting and their presentation, but one key attribute that runs through most of this record -- even more so than the very pronounced heaviness of the playing -- is a spirit of fun; these guys are obviously having the time of their lives rushing through their limited repertoire, and it's infectious to the listener; it gives this record much more of a '60s feel than we're accustomed to hearing from this band. [The EMI/Spitfire re-release from 2000 is notably superior to any prior version of the CD, made from the original master tape (which had been sent directly to the group's American label, Tetragrammaton, leaving EMI with a vinyl dub, astonishingly enough), with textures far closer and crisper than have ever been heard before -- there are also five bonus tracks, two very early outtakes from their earliest sessions, an alternate version of "Help," a BBC recording of "Hey Joe," and a searing live U.S. television performance of "Hush."] ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks :

1. And The Address
2. Hush
3. One More Rainy Day
4. Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad
5. Mandrake Root
6. Help
7. Love Help Me
8. Hey Joe
9. Emmeretta
10. Hallelujah

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Artwork Included

JAMES GANG - JESSE COME HOME 1976

Jesse Come Home is the final album by James Gang, released in 1976. This album is the only one recorded with lead guitarist Bob Webb and keyboardist Phil Giallombardo (Giallombardo had been an early member of the band prior to their ever recording). The album title refers to the "namesake" of the band: Jesse James. The cover features an atmospheric painting with the folk hero riding off into the sunset, leading to fan speculation over the years that the album was always intended as the band's last. While James Gang reunited several times in the years to follow their 1977 breakup, this remains the band's final studio work.

While ignored at the time of its release, many fans consider Jesse Come Home the most accomplished and mature work released by the James Gang. It is unquestionably the most diverse and experimental James Gang album, with even Beatlesque touches.

Both Jesse Come Home and its predecessor Newborn have been released on one compact disc by Wounded Bird Records.

Tracks :

1. "I Need Love" (Phil Giallombardo) – 3:17
2. "Another Year" – 3:59
3. "Feelin' Alright" (Jay Giallombardo/Jim Fox/Dale Peters/Bob Webb) – 3:26
4. "Peasant Song" – 3:56
5. "Hollywood Dream"
6. "Love Hurts" – 3:29
7. "Pick Up The Pizzas" (Bob Webb) – 2:30
8. "Stealin' The Show" – 3:58
9. "When I Was A Sailor" – 6:46

Link : @

Artwork for Jesse come Home + Newborn

JAMES GANG - NEWBORN 1975

Newborn is the eighth album by James Gang, released in 1975, and the only released on Atlantic Records. Guitarist Tommy Bolin and singer Roy Kenner left the band, and were replaced by guitarist Richard Shack and vocalist Bubba Keith. Notable for being perhaps the most boogie-based James Gang release and for featuring an interesting cover of the Elvis Presley classic 'Heartbreak Hotel'. Both Newborn and it's more accomplished follow-up Jesse Come Home have been reissued on one cd by Wounded Bird Records.

The album cover artwork features a reproduction of Salvador Dali's "Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man"

Tracks :

1. Merry Go Round" – 3:05
2. "Gonna Get By" (Bubba Keith, Mark Smith) – 3:59
3. "Earthshaker" (Bubba Keith) – 3:48
4. "All I Have" – 2:17
5. "Watch It" (Bubba Keith) – 3:32
6. "Driftin' Dreamer" – 3:31
7. "Shoulda' Seen Your Face" – 3:46
8. "Come With Me" – 2:30
9. "Heartbreak Hotel" (Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley) – 2:15
10. "Red Satin Lover" – 2:17
11. "Cold Wind" – 2:34

Link : @

Covers in Jesse come home ( 2 on 1 )

JAMES GANG - MIAMI 1974

The exceptionally talented Rock group James Gang have released their CD entitled Miami. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe James Gang fans, and Rock fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Miami their artistic excellence is on full display as they have once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be their best work to date.

Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

Miami is a nicely varied, mix of 9 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly talented musicians. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

If you're even mildly into Rock music you'll enjoy this album. Overall Miami is an a great release. I give it my double thumbs up. You will not be disappointed with one single track.

While the entire album is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 7 - Spanish Lover, track 6 - Praylude / Red Skies, and track 1 - Cruisin’ Down The Highway.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 8 - Summer Breezes. Wow!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clyde_Lee_Dennis

Tracks :

1. "Cruisin' Down The Highway" (Tommy Bolin/Dale Peters) – 3:16
2. "Do It" (Tommy Bolin/Roy Kenner) – 3:38
3. "Wildfire" (Tommy Bolin/John Tesar) – 3:30
4. "Sleepwalker" (Tommy Bolin/John Tesar) – 4:01
5. "Miami Two-Step" (Tommy Bolin/Dale Peters/Jim Fox) – 1:32
6. "Praylude" – 2:33
7. "Red Skies" – 3:27
8. "Spanish Lover" (Tommy Bolin/Jeff Cooke) – 3:43
9. "Summer Breezes" – 2:40
10. "Head Above The Water" (Tommy Bolin/Dale Peters) – 4:18

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Artwork Included

TRAFFIC - ON THE ROAD 1973

The venality of the business gets a workout in the 12-minute title track, a slow-building jazz-rock groove that starts with a sense of quiet menace and ends with a pealing, distorted guitar solo, with one of Steve Winwood's most impassioned and lengthy organ solos at the song's heart. "Rock & Roll Stew" and Jim Capaldi's sneering putdown "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" are even more forceful, with only the groovy ecological message of "Many a Mile to Freedom" lightening the mood. Even that song rocks harder than anything on JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE, though, and that extra hint of power is likely what helped make THE LOW SPARK OF HIGH HEELED BOYS Traffic's most commercially successful album in the United States.

Tracks :

1. "Glad" / "Freedom Rider" (Winwood)/(Winwood, Capaldi) – 20:56
2. "Tragic Magic" (Chris Wood) – 8:38
3. "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" (Winwood, Capaldi) – 10:31
4. "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" (Winwood, Capaldi) – 6:51
5. "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" (Capaldi) – 10:56
6. "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" (Winwood, Capaldi) – 17:47

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Artwork Included

RTZ - RETURN TO ZERO 1991

The early success of the band Boston is well known to fans of classic rock. Their self-titled 1976 debut album made a huge commercial splash with its turbo-charged, technically sophisticated arena rock anthems. Every track on that sonic rollercoaster of an album is familiar to listeners of classic rock radio -- even the listeners who don't own a copy. But in the three decades since, Boston albums have been few and far between, and leader Tom Scholz has earned a reputation as rock's ultimate studio slowpoke. After Boston's sophomore album Don't Look Back was released in 1978, there have been consistent eight-year gaps between new Boston releases. Their much-delayed third album Third Stage arrived in 1986; the fourth album Walk On appeared in 1994; and the fifth album Corporate America came into existence in 2002. If you are anxiously awaiting a sixth Boston album, you might get one in the year 2010. Sadly, such an album would not feature the vocals of Boston's usual lead singer Brad Delp, who took his own life in March 2007.

During the stretches between Boston albums, Delp often worked on side projects with the band's former guitarist Barry Goudreau, who left Boston after the second album. Delp took part in Goudreau's self-titled 1980 solo album, and the two of them soon formed a group called Orion The Hunter, which issued a self-titled album in 1984. In 1991, after Delp temporarily left Boston, he and Goudreau formed yet another band called RTZ, short for Return To Zero. Their self-titled 1991 album Return To Zero is out of print.

Return To Zero consists of arena rock that is similar to the Boston model, but without Tom Scholz's overpowering production values. Fortunately, the quintet is served well by the comparatively subtle arrangements, and they display admirable strengths instead of shortcomings. Although Return To Zero does not have the immediately gripping power of a Boston album, it has an appeal of its own that becomes more apparent over time and repeat listenings. Delp's vocals are still penetrating without being punched across in the Boston way; Goudreau and the other three instrumentalists (keyboardist Brian Maes, drummer David Stefanelli, and bassist Tim Archibald) all sound skilled and engaged. The album's best-known song is actually one of its weaker tracks: the surprise Top 30 single "Until Your Love Comes Back Around" is a rather formulaic power ballad. But RTZ impresses with harder-rocking tracks such as "Livin' For The Rock 'N' Roll" and "Devil To Pay". This CD loads most of its better songs towards the end instead of the beginning. The best track is almost saved for last: "Hard Time (In The Big House)" is the equal of almost any song that Delp and Goudreau did with Boston. The album is inevitably dated; in fact, it sounds more like a late-'80's recording than one from the early '90's. Still, Return To Zero is certainly worthy of some respect. (Note: a second RTZ album called Lost surfaced in 1998, but it consisted of leftover tracks from the 1991 sessions, not of new recordings).

Tracks :

1. Face The Music
2. There's Another Side
3. All You've Got
4. This Is My Life
5. Rain Down On Me
6. Every Door Is Open
7. Devil To Pay
8. Until Your Love Comes Back Around
9. Livin' For The Rock 'N' Roll
10. Hard Time (In The Big House)
11. Return To Zero

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Artwork Included