Rock

I couldn’t imagine being a guitar player in the mid sixties to early seventies. Players were evolving faster than the sound of the notes they played. Hendrix came from a parallel world and was changing everything, Clapton was making his mark, along with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Paige, and Carlos Santana just to name a few. Meanwhile, a reclusive Irishman named Rory Gallagher was tearing it up with his Stratocaster, earning a fraction of the recognition of what the aforementioned players were gaining. Gallagher’s second record, On the Boards (1970) with his power trio Taste, is one of hard rock’s understated gems, a fiery, raw blend of blues-rock, jazz, folk, country, and sophisticated progressive rock. All three players shine in this stripped down affair. The opening track, “What’s Going On” is a biting, hard rockin’ ominous number about social discord and the mixed signals of the times that are felt through Gallagher’s gruff voice. There’s the jazzy swagger of “It’s Happened Before, It’ll happen Again” (he also blows a convincing sax on this track). “If the Day was Any Longer” is a vulnerable ballad with an earnest seduction too it; some sweet harmonica augments the tenderness. Side two begins with some elaborate slide guitar workouts on “Eat my Words” that would make Duane Allman’s eyebrows rise. The title track is another jazz-tinged tune; Gallagher’s Strat chimes with bright, clean tones but contradicts this with a dark melody. “See Here” is an acoustic track that has a searching, yet sweet lullaby vibe too it that never seems to resolve musically (in the good way). There are also some basic blues rockers that could’ve easily gone into tired, honkey- tonk, bar fight territory but were saved not only by Gallagher’s astounding guitar playing but his intricate song writing as well. Rory Gallagher was a guitar player’s guitarist, but to the general public one of the most (arguably the most) overlooked guitar players of all time; who knows why; maybe he just wasn’t “psychedelic” enough. All that put aside, On the Boards is a remarkable album; and a true testament to his masterful six string navigation and his brilliant song craft. —ECM Tim

How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher.’ —Jimi Hendrix

Peeling out of the high school parking lot while flipping the principal the bird, Women and Children First roars to life with “And the Cradle Will Rock…,” further cementing Van Halen’s reputation as America’s party-on house band. Heat of the moment livin’ courses through the album, the band’s vibrant alchemy fueling the steamy cat-calling “Everybody Wants Some!,” alcoholic crash ‘n’ burners “Romeo Delight” and “Loss of Control” (which segues out of the cool Sabbathy riff scrap of “Tora! Tora!”) and the assless chaps grinding blues-rockers “Fools” and “Take Your Whiskey Home.” The gleaming “In a Simple Rhyme” closes Women and Children with an underrated razor toothed pop/rocker, capping another LP brimming with the reckless brilliance of Van Halen in full flight. —Ben

First album by the legendary ensemble Air Force, formed by drummer Ginger Baker following the collapse of the two Rock super-groups he was a member of: Cream and Blind Faith. Baker formed the ensemble to pursue the music he was truly interested in, which included Jazz and African Music. He managed to persuade a large number of British luminaries to join forces in this ambitious project, creating a first of its kind Jazz-Rock-World Fusion ensemble. The list of the participants reads like a who’s who of the British music scene at the time and includes: Steve Winwood (organ and vocals) and Rick Grech (bass) – both ex-Blind Faith, Graham Bond, Denny Laine, Chris Wood, the great Harold McNair and Baker’s revered teacher and legendary British Jazz drummer Phil Seamen. The first album was recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall and was originally released as a double LP. The music is a wonderful mixture of Jazz, Rock and World Music, performed with passion and virtuosity. The lengthy tracks allow for extended instrumental improvisations and the two drummers have ample opportunity to engage in mighty duels. In retrospect the album is visionary and educational, allowing a glimpse at a time when musical dreams were realized. This pioneering effort is a wonderful legacy for generations to come and includes many unforgettable moments. Unavailable for decades, this CD reissue is a wonderful opportunity to get familiar with a piece of musical legacy, which remains untouched by time. Absolutely not to be missed! –Adam

It may have inspired LOTS of dumb hard rock bands who lifted their style of pop sensibilities in blistering hard rock for the next 30 years, but Boston’s self-titled debut album is a career-defining classic. The mega-hit “More Than A Feeling” really needs no description. Even if you skip it, the album is insanely feel-good and flows seamlessly. The rollicking “Peace of Mind” moves with gentle acoustic strums and big loud guitars – a combination Bon Jovi would sacrilegiously raid years later. “Foreplay/Long Time” brings back memories of savage Deep Purple-style organ mixed with blistering Bat out of Hell-esque guitar parts. “Smokin’” is exactly that, giving way to an ominous organ in the bridge, whilst “Hitch a Ride” and “Let Me Take You Home Tonight” showcase Boston’s gentler pop sensibilities. The song writing is outstanding and songs are peppered with huge dynamic shifts, as blistering lead breaks come out of nowhere, handclaps pop in and out to say hello and most notably in “Something About You,” soulful cries gives way to twin-harmonized lead breaks and supercharged RAWK. It is impossible to deny the irrepressible spirit of the first Boston album and sad to think about how the band crashed, burned and became spare parts for future bands of lesser worth. –Matt P

A stunning album of singular vision, Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren stands as the odd man out in the Rundgren discography, decidedly un-eclectic, focused on a mellow, transcendent goal. Lonely-Friday-night-turned-love-at-first-sight opener “Long Flowing Robe” sets the stage with it’s easy-goin’ groove and explosive chorus (and the greatest single note tom fill in rock history) bathing the shag carpet in an orange glow, the rest of The Ballad germinating under it’s warmth. Heartstring-tugging, piano based ballads with rich vocal harmonies like “Wailing Wall,” “The Ballad (Denny & Jean),” “Be Nice to Me” and “Hope I’m Around” dominate, and sit comfortably next to head-noddin’ rockers like “Bleeding,” “Chain Letter” and “Parole.” The “less is more” philosophy is at play here (shockingly so for those coming at this album backwards after digesting the multi-layered entries to follow) with a straightforwardly simple instrumentation giving plenty of breathing room to the songs, each of which feature hooks galore – each a minor classic. With the career-defining “Something/Anything” lurking ’round the corner, “The Ballad” stands as an unheralded masterpiece that has undoubtedly served as the final straw for those who choose to dig deeper and have come to hold as their mantra: “Todd Is God.” –Ben

“Diamond Head” is more easily compared to Brian Eno’s albums than those of Roxy Music. The eclectic and adventurous sound is marvelously produced and recorded with a great line-up of musicians and singers and features two of Eno’s best ever vocal performances on ‘Big Day’ and ‘Miss Shapiro’ (both of which regularly run in little loops inside my head at the unlikeliest of moments). Then there is a fine performance by John (just out of King Crimson) Wetton on ‘Same Time Next Week’ – complete with Fripp-esque guitar work and Crimson-style Mellotron colorings. A lost classic? Definitely. This is one of the albums I would not want to be without on a desert island . Further proof that the great music of the seventies has not been entirely lost in the digital age. –Reeves

You Know Who You Are is an irresistible slab of glittery teen lust laid to wax, the castrato vocals of ex-Sweeney Todd singer Nick Gilder the perfect foil for detailing the blue movie diary “Rated X,” the squealing rockshow frenzy of “Backstreet Noise,” and Sunset sleaze of Sweeny Todd cuts “Roxy Roller” and “Tantalize.” Overall You Know Who You Are feels like the aural equivalent of a worn issue of Star, crammed front-to-back with trashy, tasteless pop that buzzes with electric ecstasy of Sweet and steamy glam grooves of classic T-Rex. –Ben

Stranded was Roxy Music’s first album after the departure of Brian Eno – who was undeniably the band’s driving force when it came to experimental avant-garde rock. No doubt the change in personnel lost the band a number of acolytes but there are enough traces of his influence remaining to make this the finest album the band ever released and, in my eyes at least, something of a classic. The introduction of Eddie Jobson’s woodwind rather than Eno’s spacey loops signalled a sea change in the band’s approach with Ferry using this smoother sound to promote himself as the ultimate suave womaniser who thought he could seduce with a mere twitch of his tonsils. And, on some of these tracks, that doesn’t sound too farfetched. With the passage of time it becomes ever more apparent that Roxy Music consisted of some truly excellent musicians. Phil Manzanera’s guitar, Andy Mackay’s sax and, in particular, one of the most underrated of drummers, Paul Thompson, all deserve equal credit even though they couldn’t compete with Ferry’s persona. The album contains eight tracks all of which are praiseworthy but special consideration should be given to “A Song For Europe”, “Amazona”, “Psalm” and the tour-de-force “Mother Of Pearl”. –Ian

Strangely paradoxical how Elton John is now fiercely, almost neurotically, obsessed with protecting his personal life, yet in 1975 released Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy which purported to tell the story of his and Bernie Taupin’s struggle for recognition. Equally interesting, given his sexual ambivalence, is the unspoken story behind such songs as “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” and “We All Fall In Love Sometimes”. Interesting as all that is, the most important factor to remember about this album is that it’s an absolute cracker. Everything seems to have come together at the right time to create a near classic. This is Elton’s finest backing band. Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray, Nigel Ollson and Ray Cooper may have come and gone throughout his career but there can be no doubting he should have stuck with them. The artwork for the album by Alan Aldridge is superb and certainly one of my favorite covers. And the songs, because of the stories behind them, have power and poignancy. But, I said this is a near classic and that’s why reviewing is a personal business. Others may like “Tell Me When The Whistle Blows” and “(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket”, I don’t and that’s were the album falls down. Still, the Captain and the Cowboy done good. –Ben