Old Enough to Forget

I recall hearing “I’m The Answer” on the radio by Simon back in 1983. The couple of times I heard it, it was always followed by a comment about Pete singing backing vocals, or Pete produced it, or Simon was Pete's little brother. It was a minor hit, or a near miss depending on how you look at it. I sort of liked it and I almost bought the record because it had a cool-looking cover. Simon was staring into the camera and pouting (his hair dresser gets a credit in the liner notes). He was either covered in grease or coal, depending on what kind of backstory you've invented to take up the obligatory 1,000 words the picture is supposed to conjure up. Coal or grease, the remarkable thing about the cover is the pristine white shirt. How did he keep the shirt clean? Sweet Sound was indeed produced by Simon’s elder brother, Pete, who had fifteen years on him. One could be forgiven for thinking this was nepotism at its worst. Except it wasn’t ... not really, though I’m sure it didn’t hur...

All I really knew about Dave Mason was that he’d been a member of Traffic, rode that association into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), and had a hit in ’77 with “We Just Disagree” - a song I liked, and still like. News about Dave's death showed up on various sites back in April, and honestly, I realized I’d had him confused for years. Never having been much of a Traffic fan - beyond the songs I’d heard on the radio - and only really knowing that one hit, Dave Mason was mostly just a name to me. Somewhere along the way I’d gotten my internal wires crossed and convinced myself he was Graham Parker ... and to make things worse, I’d somehow also thought Graham Parker was actually Gram Parsons. I'd like to say this is an example of The Mandela Effect, but honestly, it’s just kind of par for how my brain works. Over the years, I've been able to craft and populate whole histories based on a simple misconception that, over time, becomes a foundational support to an o...

Your Mama Won't Like Me was released in 1975 and was her third album in three years, as well as the follow-up to '74s Quatro. Yes, I know most of that sentence is clunky, but it says what I wanted it to say. Once again she partnered with Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, who produced the album and wrote three of the songs. The balance of the material was written by Suzi and Len Tuckey, except for the cover of "Fever," initially made famous by Peggy Lee and since covered by everyone from Elvis to Madonna. Suzi's band was still anchored by Suzi on bass and Len Tuckey on guitar. Dave Neal was on drums, and Alastair McKenzie was on keys. This was the same lineup as 1974's Quatro . It's strange they weren't credited on the cover ... I guess we were supposed to recognize them from their pictures. Speaking of credits, the album didn't have a lot of them, but they included Chris Mercer (tenor sax), Mick Eve (tenor sax), Steve Gregory (tenor sax), Bud Beadle (b...

Since finding Teaze Live in Japan a few years ago, I had been on the lookout for this one. Not that it was hard to find once I made up my mind that this was coming home - I just wasn't convinced I needed to add it to my collection. Part of the issue was the live album. Yes, it was enjoyable, and it was definitely one of those albums I had been curious about since my teen years ... but it was also sort of uneven, and the songs just weren't that memorable, which I still find strange because I really do like the album, and I was listening to it again the other day. One Night Stands , though, just looked cool, and it had the benefit of having Myles Goodwyn's name stamped on the back cover. April Wine was one of those bands that always had a song on the radio growing up, but during my formative years between 1978 and 1981 the band was on a tear: First Glance , Harder ... Faster , and The Nature of the Beast . Right in the middle of their commercial peak, Teaze were touring with...

Back in January I wrote about The Northern Pikes' excellent album Forest of Love . It was an album I bought because I thought it might be interesting (I also found it cheap which was a plus), and I was intrigued by Kevin Kane's inclusion in the line-up. I suppose if I were a proper fan I wouldn't have been so surprised at how good it was. Time to Time came out in 2023 and featured the same lineup: Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin, Don Schmid, and Kevin Kane. I went to the band's site, looked through the merch store, and saw that their latest album Time to Time was available as an autographed limited edition. In one of those "Go on, take my money" moments, I sent a message through the site and, in short order, found myself trading notes with Don  Schmid . Within literally a few days, a package arrived at my door with the record. Turns out Don lives practically down the road from me, which kind of cracked me up. Time to Time had been waiting to be played for a few mon...

Most of this was written in real time as I listened to the record for the first time. I have, of course, gone back in time to edit and add more after the fact. Why not? At the moment I'm about two tracks in. I just dropped the needle and sat down. The first track, "Intro," is exactly that. It was a cool, sort of techno-influenced piece that segues into "Forever," which was pretty good. Having the song end with a tape effect is a nod to a past that doesn't exist. I suppose if you can replicate it digitally, why not? "Like I Used to Be" is pretty cool. The song features what I have to assume are Matt and Kim trading vocals back and forth. The song is a mid-tempo alternative electronic piece with a lot of '80s-flavoured programmed percussion. I like it. Very retro ... or is this called Lo-Fi? "I'd Rather" Oh, here we go. A nice fat thuddy beat. At the risk of exposing my limited range in defining or understanding genres, I suspect th...