Pat Martino - "Starbright" (1976)

Furthering my excursions into obscure 1970s jazz records, Pat Martino's Starbright is more proof that jazz wasn't completely dead in the 70s. I tried to listen to this as background music while getting ready for work this morning, but by the end of the record, I was still unsure if I liked it or not. Fortunately, I decided that I probably just hadn't been listening closely enough, and indeed the second listen proved that to be the case.

This is a jazz-fusion record featuring Martino on guitar and keyboards, but is largely a solo jazz guitar affair. The reason it didn't work for me as background music is because Martino's playing is largely slow and subtle and often stays well away from the rock guitar style to which I am accustomed. But when listening more closely, I found that his quiet pieces conjured up a nice atmosphere and the funky pieces which did catch my ear on first listen had more going on than I realized. Best of all, Martino has a diverse approach, being comfortable in classical guitar pieces as well as funk-jazz fusion. So in the end, this record is another keeper in my collection, but definitely an odd one for me to get used to.

Gary Burton and Chick Corea - "Duet" (1978)

I don't consider myself very knowledgeable regarding jazz, although I did take a History of Jazz course my freshman year of college, so perhaps I am underselling myself. But at least relative to my rock and pop tastes, where I basically know what I like, and have basic aesthetic criteria that I use to evaluate it, my jazz tastes are much less well-defined. I know that I consider Kind of Blue to be a masterpiece, but that's about it. I say all this because Gary Burton and Chick Corea's 1978 Duet is a hard-core jazz record, consisting of 50 minutes of piano/vibraphone improvisation.

Yet although I was skeptical about the use of vibraphone, especially as one of only two instruments, I enjoyed this record quite a bit. Corea is a name I know from my freshman year class, and I found his piano-playing to be exciting and rarely boring, continuously exploring new themes and motifs, and I found Burton's vibraphone to be a great accompaniment. So in the end, if I am less certain about whether this is a 3 star or a 4 star record then I would be if it were a rock album, I am certain that this is good music, and as such, it easily makes the cut to stay in my collection.

Joni Mitchell - "Ladies of the Canyon" (1970)

Although I've heard a lot about Joni Mitchell, I haven't actually heard much of her music, so Ladies of the Canyon is really my introduction to her work. Generally, I'm impressed, and since this one is generally considered to be a step below the albums that came right after it, I am intrigued enough to hear more. This album is largely just Mitchell and an acoustic guitar, but she makes sure to stay well away from the boredom that legions of less-talented singer/songwriters would surely have induced. Instead, with her ear for odd harmonies and chord progressions and love for quirkiness and dissonance, this music is really anything but boring. If anything, my biggest gripe (and my girlfriend's, who hated this record) is that at times, her high-pitched delivery and wacko song structures are just too weird to fully comprehend. So don't do Mitchell the disservice of dismissing her as some sort of boring 70s singer that old people like and please don't judge "Big Yellow Taxi" by the Counting Crows/Vanessa Carlton cover.

Elton John - "11-17-70"

Well, I'm not exactly making good on my promise to review a record a day. Such is life. But I'll keep trying! As for Elton John's live album, appropriately titled "11/17/70," it is no doubt a keeper. I admit, I am not as keen on live albums in general as some, though I do appreciate most of the undisputed classics of the genre (i.e., The Who's Live at Leeds or Deep Purple's Made in Japan). So I found John's sparse lineup of piano, bass and drums to be more solid than outstanding. All that said, the three players are impressive (especially Dee Murray on bass) and this record is a reminder of a time not so long ago when Elton was not a musical has-been but a vibrant and sometimes thrilling performer.

Roxy Music - "Siren" (1975)

Much like Alice Cooper's Killer, Siren is an album that I own that is widely acknowledged to be a classic, and yet I had never listened to it until yesterday afternoon. So in addition to the joys of reviewing random bad records, this project is also motivating me to listen to my GOOD albums too. What an outlandish idea. At any rate, I am becoming more and more confident in my ability to determine if I will like an album on one listen (as I am of the opinion that it takes at least 3 listens to properly assess a record, at least to make fine distinctions about whether something is a 4 star or a 4.5 star album), and after about 10 seconds of hearing the bass intro to "Love is the Drug," I knew this record was a definite keeper.

There is something to be said for contrast, and indeed, Roxy Music's intelligent, dance-oriented sound which signals both towards New Wave (I had heard the stellar "Love is the Drug" on the radio before and would have guessed it was an early 80s single) and hearkens back to 40s and 50s lounge music as well, sounds especially great to my ears right after listening to Seals and Crofts. I especially like the voice of singer Bryan Ferry, who weirdly, reminds me of Antony Hegarty from Anthony and the Johnsons when he croons. I don't know that this album will become a masterpiece in my mind, as it at times is a bit too self-consciously weird, but I would still heartily recommend it.

Seals and Crofts - "Get Closer" (1976)

Seals and Crofts' trademark is "soft rock", which I have always found is a veiled way to call something boring and watered-down. And indeed, Get Closer is exactly that. On the surface, it might not seem that bad. The duo plays around a little bit with psychedelic song structures, even jamming out (so to speak) on the final track "Passing Thing" and none of the songs are particularly poorly written. Yet the vocals of either Seals or Crofts (I don't really care which) have absolutely no emotion whatsoever, calibrated to sound smooth and good on the radio. The instruments all wash together, with nothing really standing out. And as such, the result is aurally-induced narcolepsy. There is nothing here that could qualify as a guilty pleasure like their hit single "Summer Breeze" and the free-spirited 'jam' on "Passing Thing" is the most boring part of the record since neither Seals nor Crofts nor their armada of studio musicians is capable of an interesting musical idea beyond quoting "As Time Goes By." Blue bin, of course.

Howard Jones - "Dream Into Action" (1985)

A lot of the fun of this project for me is the idea of listening to random records, setting aside my biases for 40 minutes, and letting my ears do the judgment. I had never heard of Howard Jones before acquiring this album, and I admit I do tend to be biased towards artists whom I've never heard of, based on my optimistic theory that over time, good albums will always be remembered (by music critics at the minimum) and that the best artists will stand the test of time. So by this theory, the fact that I'd never heard of Howard Jones (keeping in mind that I read A LOT of music and album reviews and can expound on the traits and most highly-regarded albums of plenty of artists I have never actually listened to) is a red flag that that there was something lacking in his discography.

Yet much as I'd like to make a lot of corny jokes about how this album is a turkey in honor of Thanksgiving, I actually found "Dream Into Action" to be a very impressive record. Although the sound is very dated to 1985, with plenty of automated rhythm tracks, synthesizers, and a singing voice which is hardly distinguishable from other 80s British New Wave artists from the same time period, I found the songs to be consistently creative, interesting, and diverse. The singles that lead off each side - "Things Can Only Get Better" and "Look Mama," are both top-tier mid 80s singles and the surrounding tracks are not much worse.

My major criticism of the album lies with the fact that the sound is so dated - although the individual songs are fairly creative, I have to suspect that the major reason Jones has largely been forgotten is that the album is so locked into its time period, and worse yet, does not really have a personality that sets it apart from other artists working in the same genre. It's a good record, but there are better albums with a similar sound, making it all too easy for Jones to have fallen out of favor when recalling the best records of the 80s. But setting that aside, I enjoyed this album quite a bit, and would definitely recommend it.

Jimmy Buffett - "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (1978)

Before listening to this record, I had a fairly negative perception of Jimmy Buffett, but in truth, I hadn't actually heard much of his music. After listening to this record, some of my hostility towards Buffett dissipated, for although I still don't really have any personal connection to his odes to the Caribbean and drinking margaritas on the beach, his persona is clearly intended to be at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek. So as ridiculous as a song called "Cheeseburger in Paradise" may be, it is at least leavened with a dose of humor, which I can always appreciate.

All that said, this album will not remain in my collection, for although the title track is a somewhat catchy folk ditty and it may be that "Cheeseburger in Paradise" is secretly brilliant, the rest failed to impress on a basic songwriting level, unlike the undeniable hooks of say, "Margaritaville". This record is not really touted as one of Buffett's best and since I am no Parrothead to begin with, I feel no regret in tossing this one into the blue bin, blue being the color that fits a son of a son of a sailor best.

Stanley Turrentine - "Everybody Come On Out" (1976)

I was somewhat hesitant to include jazz records on this blog, since I find it hard to heap withering scorn on saxophone solos. More accurately, I was concerned that my ears aren't cultivated enough to distinguish between jazz as background music and jazz as art. Fortunately, I came to my senses and realized that it doesn't have to be that difficult. The only question I'm trying to answer is "Do I reasonably expect that I would ever want to listen to this album again?"

For Stanley Turrentine, the answer is, barely, a yes, although this is most definitely an example of jazz as background music. Turrentine brought in a large group ensemble for this record but they mostly play string-backed ballads, are rarely adventurous, and cover a song called "Stairway to Heaven," that is NOT the one written by Robert Plant. Still, the title track is a decent jazz-funk fusion jam and most of the first side features soulful saxophone playing by Turrentine. The second side is quite a bit less tolerable, but if nothing else, has the advantage that instrumental music possesses of being difficult to give offense, at least to my virginal jazz ears. "Everybody Come On Out" is no landmark jazz record, but in my collection it shall remain.

The Steve Miller Band - "Abracadabra" (1982)

I was perhaps too quick to say that I was considering filing Steve Winwood between Steve Miller and Steve Perry. I almost forgot that I despise the Steve Miller band. Fortunately, a listen to the first side of Abracadabra brought me back to the joys of hating a piece of music and all the superiority implied. Maybe if I had been born in 1978 instead of 1988, I would instinctively gravitate towards Miller's watered-down rock sound with the force that only childhood nostalgia can lend. Alas, it wasn't so, and as such, my only reaction to the title track is one of horror.

All that said, if there is some objective arbiter of taste out there, I am sure that he or she would agree that I like worse albums than this one. It's poppy, overtly commercial, and dated, but so was that album I reviewed last night. I just happen to think that Miller is one obnoxiously smug motherfucker. I admit the chugging guitar rhythm of "Abracadabra" drew me in for a few moments, but once I heard its sneering chorus, all the loathing that I have felt for his other hit songs like "The Joker" came flooding back. The postures of hipness and slick production are just too much for me to deal with for this genre of music, and so to the blue bin I consign Abracadabra.

Steve Winwood - "Back in the High Life" (1986)

Perhaps I am losing my gift for condescension and withering criticism, but here is yet another quintessential 'bargain bin' album that will remain in my collection rather than traverse to that great blue bin in the sky. Most notable for the radio staple "Higher Love," this solo outing by former Traffic and Spencer Davis Group singer Steve Winwood is much better than I was anticipating, even if I have never quite been able to make myself change the station when "Higher Love" comes on.

If you've heard "Higher Love" or clicked the friendly Youtube link I have provided, you will probably be able to ascertain whether you, too, would like this record. Maybe it's just because this kind of music was subtly imprinted on my brain while I was in the womb, but I do have a predilection for the overproduced, horn-driven sound that Winwood favors. More importantly, a solid majority of the songs have hooks and melodies that caught my ear on first listen - simplistic pop, but not necessarily trivial. I certainly found the album to be of much higher quality than Phil Collins' similar-sounding LPs of the same era, so there must be something to the songwriting. It's hardly a great album, as every song is too long, and the second side is boring, but it is good enough to nestle back onto my shelf in between The Who and Wonder, Stevie. Or perhaps between Steve Miller and Steve Perry, depending on your alphabetical predisposition.

The Roches - "The Roches" (1979)

The Roches are a band I had never heard of until tonight. Although the front cover did not appear particularly promising, I definitely liked this record. It is basically an acoustic folk album, with a strong emphasis on the harmonies of Maggie, Terry, and Suzzy Roche. When I heard the first ten or fifteen seconds of the opening track "We," with three high-pitched voices singing "We are Maggie and Terre and Suzzy," I cringed a bit, thinking I had stumbled across some sort of drugged-out children's album. But although very twee (not that that term existed in 1979), the song is actually a tongue-in-cheek introduction to the group, featuring dissonant harmonies and odd, but clever lyrics ("We don't give out our ages/And we don't give out our phone numbers/Sometimes our voices give out/but not our ages and our phone numbers").

Throughout the record, the Roches play precious, almost child-like music that nonetheless has a definite arty bent (the album is produced by Robert Fripp of prog-rock giant King Crimson and features his electric guitar as well as King Crimson staple Tony Levin on bass). Although the music is very sparse, the harmonies and melodies are weird enough to keep things interesting, and overall, the album is not quite like anything else I have ever heard. My main criticism is that the songs tend to run for four or five minutes in length, which feels a bit long for what are fairly simplistic (at least texturally simplistic) songs. But setting that aside, The Roches is definitely a very good album and another pleasant surprise in my collection.

Alice Cooper - "Killer" (1971)

This album is actually one I've had for years without listening to, which I now regret, because I loved it from beginning to end. I'm familiar with Alice Cooper primarily for his reputation as a 'shocking' rocker of the early 70s and his classic rock radio show that 105.9 in Central Illinois runs at nights. But unlike say, Kiss, Killer proves that Cooper and his backing band had quite a lot of musical substance as well. It's one of those albums that I can't easily categorize, as it crosses rough garage rock, psychedelia, and camp into one near-seamless blend.

The lyrics tend to be intentionally ridiculous, as witnessed by song titles like "Dead Babies." But I am of the opinion that hard rock should not take itself too seriously, and the theatrical side of the group works just well on LP as I imagine it did in their live shows. The musical aspects of a song like "Dead Babies" should not be forgotten as it starts off quiet and menacing with an Eastern-tinged riff before launching into an over-the-top chorus ("Dead babies/can't take care of themselves"). What I'm most impressed with here is the diversity of ideas both within and between songs, as they pull off two-minute garage rockers like "You Drive Me Nervous" just as well as eight-minute freakouts like "Halo of Flies." Thumbs up all around!

Linda Ronstadt - "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" (1980)

I found it somewhat difficult to evaluate this album, as Linda Ronstadt apparently writes no original material, so the tracklist consists exclusively of covers of songs by artists like Buddy Holly ("It's So Easy") and the Stones ("Tumbling Dice"). It'd be one thing if I knew all of the songs that were covered here, because then I could compare them to the originals. Under that method of evaluation, "Tumbling Dice" is passable, but lacks the swagger and charisma of the Stones' version. Yet I don't know the other songs well enough to make the same comparisons.

So really, what I am evaluating on is the choice of covers, and for the most part, Ronstadt gets that right, ensuring that this album will remain in my collection. She largely plays things straight, but is a solid singer with a good backing band. The songs I recognized - in addition to the other two mentioned, these include "Ooh Baby Baby" and "Just One Look" all came off fairly well to my ears. I don't know how much credit to apportion to Linda Ronstadt herself vs. the original writers/performers of the songs, but I will try not to lose sleep over it.