Old Enough to Forget

Santana is one of those odd bands that is a band but also a singular musician. The classic lineup of the band was cohesive and the fusion of their various identities was remarkable. As a kid I didn't know a lot about them. Their early work didn't really hit my radar, although over the years "Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen" and the infectious "Oye Como Va" were songs I really enjoyed. I knew that Gregg Rolie the keyboard player and singer in Journey had been in the band along with Neil Schon but that was about it. For me the first song by Santana that caught my attention was "Winning" back in 1981 and I bought the 45 and then a year later the band hit it big with their rendition of Ian Thomas' "Hold On' that was a carbon copy of the original, except it had a great guitar solo. That was it. Santana was just a '70s band that had come and gone. In the late '80s I saw Carlos Santana open for The Grateful Dead in Tacoma and while he...

Mashmakhan was one of those mysterious bands who was often referenced in articles related to April Wine. Drummer Jerry Mercer came from the band, and later incarnations would spit out guitarist Steve Lang and Brian Greenway (not at the same time) all of whom would land in April Wine and be part of the classic line up. This just added to the mystery. What was Mashmakhan?  I found a slightly beat up copy a while ago and I'd finally get my answer. The first clue should have been the hippy dippy trippy cover. The kaleidoscope image of the floating heads was a give away, but then again it was the '70s. I have friends who had family portraits that had superimposed images that looked similar so it was actually more normal than it seemed. The second clue, and one I was not aware of until I started reading up on the band was that a drug dealer in Montreal sold a variety of hash called mashmakhan. Yeah I'm sure the kids thought that was far out man. From the first track, this was ver...

Here I have Stranded , the second album by Edwards Hand, released in 1970. I never knew this existed. For decades I had been curious about the duo of Rod Edwards and Roger Hand. I first saw their names listed in the credits for Larry Norman's Only Visiting This Planet, and his follow up So Long Ago the Garden . Those two albums were recorded in England and produced by Edwards Hand along with Jon Miller. To say those albums were foundational to me is an understatement. I'd again see the same team behind a pair of albums by Malcolm & Alwyn: 1973's Fool's Wisdom and their 1974 follow up Wildwall . The two Malcom & Alwyn albums I discovered in the early '80s and while both are very good, I was especially drawn to their first album. This is a rather long preamble, but through these early albums I became aware a number of rather stellar musicians. John Wetton would of course go on to be a member of King Crimson, and later Asia, while others I wouldn't really...

This was a record I was pretty excited to find. It was the UK pressing, and the gatefold was laminated and looked absolutely pristine. This was also an album I'd never heard. I knew it existed, but honestly I always thought it was a throwaway album kind of like Sentimental Journey that had come out in the spring of 1970. I think one of the reasons I was so casually dismissive was it would be three years before Ringo would regroup and release his self titled album in 1973, which more or less coincidentally aligned with when I really started paying attention to music. Honestly for a long time I had assumed Ringo was his debut. The album is extra ordinary. I mean, this is a love letter to classic country, and Ringo seems so at home it's disarming. There's always been something special about Ringo's voice. It's an odd thing in many ways, but his ability to convey so much emotion and warmth is disarming. His confidence and charm are absolutely infectious. For those who ...

As a kid I remember "Your Mamma Don't Dance" as one of those really cool songs, and I always got a kick (and still do) when the song got to the "Outta the car longhair." As for the Poison remake, that goes in the trash alongside the Motley Crue version of "Smokin' in the Boy's Room" neither band had any idea what to do with the source material other than try and rock it up and suck the life out of the song. Anyway ... it was the original that rings true, and it was the reason I picked up the album when I found a pretty decent copy in the dollar bin a while back. I always knew they were a successful band, but I really didn't know anything other than the one song. Kenny Loggins to me was always just the guy who managed to carve out a niche as king of the soundtrack singles, starting with "I'm Alright" from Caddyshack, and then again with "Footloose" and "Danger Zone" I mean to say those were huge is an unders...

I found this a while back, and what caught my eye aside from the cover, which reminded me of an animation cell from Yellow Submarine ... was the list of artists represented on the back cover. Quite a few I knew and there were quite a few I had never heard of. Thankfully on the inside of the gatefold were thirteen mini bios and pictures which I found really entertaining, and it was cool to see so many names I was not familiar with mixed in with artists that went on to become well known. Now this was a dollar bin find, but the jacket was in great shape, and the record was almost as heavy as the 180 gram stuff that gets the kids excited today. However, it was a bit worn, and after a good clean it plays pretty well but there are spots here and there where it sounds like a warm fire crackling in the background ... but honestly it's not that bad. This is more of a time capsule than it is a cohesive mix tape. With the start of a new decade, Capitol wanted to showcase how in tune they wer...

I've had so many records to go through (I still have a couple of piles to play) that I've not really taken the time to root around on the streaming side of things. Recently my Aunt Jeanne, the cool aunt from my childhood who introduced me to a lot of cool music, was in town. We sat in the back yard and talked about old music. Well, I talked and she listened. She's still the cool aunt. It started with me reminiscing about Vanity Fare's "Hitchin' a Ride" a 45 she had when I was a kid. I played that single over and over and over on a little suitcase player, and that song still hits me in the feels. She then mentioned a band she liked that was a little different but was probably so obscure they'd been forgotten, but they were cool. It took her a moment to get the name of the band from her long term memory but eventually she came up with Goose Creek Symphony. She said they did a great version of "(Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me a) Mercedes Benz" and...

Here we go kids. Hope you're ready as well start the slide into the summer months. Junary can be a weird month where it's either too hot, too cold, or too boring. I'm still working my way through the records I bought last December, and while I'm still adding to the pile I'm trying to slow down. Having my favourite record store go tits up was really bad for them, but good for me. Although they do have an auction, and at times that's been a problem but that's my cross to bear. This time out is another mixed bag of nuts. Some of the albums I had back in the day, and others are new to me. It's always fun to sit down, turn on and turn it up. Rock and Hyde - Under the Volcano (1987) Three Dog Night - Naturally (1970) The Moody Blues - This is The Moody Blues (1974) Carl Perkins and NRBQ - Boppin' the Blues (1970) The Kinks - Give the People What They Want (1981) Rock and Hyde - Under the Volcano (1987) A couple years after Payolas tried and failed to gr...

Another of the Pickwick releases I seem to keep finding. There is no date, which is pretty standard, but it's a pretty safe bet this collection of songs goes back to the '50s and probably early '60s. Pickwick seemed to delight in packaging budget collections and here on The 12 Days of Christmas it's a pretty standard collection of the the big classics. As I've come to expect with these records, they are short. Woefully short. The majority of the songs clock in at just over two minutes, and a couple are under the two minute mark. Although the Jimmie Rodgers version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" is a second shy of the three minute mark - at least according to the back of the jacket. Bonnie Guitar pulls of the longest song with her arrangement of "O Holy Night" that was really nice. I actually thought it was going to be a guitar piece played by a Scotsman - Bonnie Guitar , get it? It wasn't.  The songs run the gamut, but are all very much of an...

Al Kooper is like a rock and roll Swiss Army Knife. I can't actually recall hearing anything by him as an artist, but I would read his name on a lot of my favourite albums. I mean if all he was ever known for was discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd, and producing their first three classic albums that would be a crowning feather in anyone's cap. As a teen he co-wrote "This Diamond Ring" that was recorded by Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and then in his early twenties he'd play the Hammond organ on a number of Bob Dylan recording, notably "Like a Rolling Stone" and he'd also be present at Dylan's infamous Newport Folk Festival appearance when Bob decided it was time to go electric. Al Kooper was more than an occasional sidesman, he was a gifted multi-instrumentalist. Playing piano, organ (yeah, there is a difference), guitar, vibes, the sitar (echoes of the '60s baby) and something called a Ondioline (an analog synth that was first built in the '40s ...

Ten Years After is one of those bands a lot of people know about, but don't really know much about. At least that was the case for me. Alvin Lee, is a name I knew of, but much like the band I couldn't really name more than a song ... which I'll name later, likely a couple of times. They were kind of like Status Quo in that regard. Yeah I know I'm a Luddite, but cut me some slack, this stuff was just a tad before my time. I may be getting old but I'm not that old ... yet. Sill I do like a lot of the late '60s and early to mid-70s jam bands. As it happened I was out and about looking around a record store I'd not been to very often. They had a back wall lined with dollar records (I'm cheap). This wall didn't have that much going for it as it was chock full of showtunes and a lot of questionable stuff (maybe one day I'll by an Al Jolson album, but I'm kind of on the fence), but in the midst of all this nonsense I managed to score a couple of al...

Yeah I got an album by The Partridge Family. They weren't the Monkees that's for sure, but dang it it was the early '70s and we didn't have cable - hardly anyone we knew had cable. It was for rich people. We got enough channels with an antenna to be able to keep up with the latest cartoons and the best shows on television. Like the Banana Splits, H.R. Pufnstuf and Star Trek ... when I could figure out when it was on. The world was full of variety shows, and music was everywhere. Then one day a new family moved into my living room  - The Partridge Family. Good lord, it was enough having to watch The Osmonds with a prancing Donny, and the Jackson 5 with little Michael all the time.  At least the Brady Bunch weren't doing a song and dance act ... oh wait, they did. It was horrible. Still, it was fun. The music was terrible. It was also catchy. It was also incredibly safe for family consumption. They also played Ovation guitars. This I remember distinctly, because my un...

For number Four it's a mixed bag of five albums for your reading pleasure. Three out of five were new to me which is always an adventure. I think my favourite find in the bunch this time around was the Joe Walsh release. I do love me some Joe Walsh. Gotta say, four months in and holding steady. It's the last Sunday in May so without further ado ... Five for Fighting No.4 Joe South - Games People Play (1970?)  Moon Joyce - The Infinite Edge (1985)  Wang Chung - Points on the Curve (1983) Joe Walsh - The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get (1973) Nestor Pistor - Nestor Pistor for Prime Minister (1978) Joe South - Games People Play (1970?) I was intrigued by the cover and figured this could be an interesting discovery and at worst I'd be out a buck. This was a re-issue on Pickwick, which meant it was licensed from Capitol and the songs were cobbled together from different releases. Not quite a greatest hits, but it was a mixed bag of pretty interesting tunes. Trying t...