Jive Time Turntable

Hank Mobley “Soul Station” (1960)

Hank Mobley recorded this album fresh out of jail after being convicted for heroin posession. Maybe it was relief at finally being free, but the playing here is beautifully relaxed and poised, with a strong sense of flow. As a player, Mobley was sometimes ill-served by recording engineers, but he sounds superb here. And no complaints about the band! There’s nothing revolutionary here, which may lead you to underrate this record; I used to, but the more I get to know it, the better it sounds. —Brad

Young Marble Giants “Colossal Youth” (1980)

It must be twenty years ago since I first heard Colossal Youth by Young Marble Giants. I borrowed the album from a friend, fell in love with it and have spent the time in between trying to search out a copy. Okay, I may not have been trying too hard, but hunting down Colossal Youth was not as easy as you’d think. The problem was, by the time I got around to hearing the album, the band had been defunct for seven years. The trio consisting of brothers Stuart and Phillip Moxham and vocalist Alison Statton formed in Cardiff at the back end of 1978. They arrived out of nowhere, blew the socks off the majority of music journalists, recorded an intensely minimalistic album, were touted as one of the best new bands by the New Musical Express and fell apart amidst a flurry of bad feelings and irreconcilable differences. By early 1981 they had returned to relative obscurity leaving behind a small but perfectly formed body of work. The liner notes accompanying the album claim, because Young Marble Giants didn’t hang around for long, they were unable to sully their work with inferior product. There may be a kernel of truth in that but it does tend to detract from the fact what makes the statement true is the material they did produce had to be damn near perfect to begin with.

Where to begin describing the music of Young Marble Giants? There may be something clichéd and ho-hum about the statement but Colossal Youth is verging on the unique. Stepping outside music, imagine a wireframe designed to be the foundation on which layers of papier-mâché will be pasted to create a landscape. The music of Colossal Youth is the wireframe. It’s as if the band went into the studio, laid down the most basic of backing tracks, had an initial stab at a vocal and then made the astonishing decision that that was enough. The music is beyond minimal; at times just a few clipped notes on the guitar, a muted beat and a wispy vocal. The whole thing could be blown into oblivion by an interloping tinkle of a triangle. It’s incredible how so much substance and depth can be drawn from something so skeletal. There isn’t a wasted note on the whole album because there simply aren’t enough notes to waste. The band eventually folded due to a combination of the breakdown of the personal relationship between Phillip Moxham and Statton and the fact Stuart Moxham – the principal songwriter – had always wanted to sing his own material but had been persuaded by his brother to let Statton join. Eventually the cracks became too divisive to ignore and the Young Marble Giants went their separate ways. It’s a memorable document of a band whose star shone very brightly very quickly before just as swiftly burning itself out. Young Marble Giants were a band who exemplified the saying less is more – in their case a hell of a lot more. –Ian

Killing Joke “Killing Joke” (1980)

Killing Joke’s debut album was a revelation – and, for me, a massive gamble. Strange, you may think, for someone immersed in the likes of hard and punk rock but, even in these areas, I’d always steered well clear of extremes. I always went for a tune rather than noise so, whilst the band received concerted rave reviews, I became circumspect when their music attracted descriptions like “industrial strength” and “barrage of sound.” The term being “blown away” is commonly attributed to music which leaves the listener in awe; in relation to this album it can be applied quite literally. There can be little difference between listening to this and working in heavy engineering. The drums crash like thunderclaps, the bass is a tripping jackhammer, the guitars are wailing banshees and the vocals are a sinister nightmare and if you think all that adds up to criticism, forget it, because the result is a fabulous blitz of discordant sound which, incredibly, never lets go of the underlying melody. Deliberately provocative – a Christ-like figure throws a two-fingered salute on the inside cover – Killing Joke are a band who demand to be taken seriously. Ignore at your peril. —Ian

Van Halen “Women and Children First” (1980)

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

Fotheringay “Fotheringay” (1970)

After her successful and excellent beginnings with Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny carries on surprising us with new gems with Fotheringay. Unfortunately this new band will officially release only one album and Sandy will carry on in a solo career. The 3 masterpieces are first the haunting and emotional “Banks of the Nile” another thrilling war song with delicate acoustic accompaniment and very soulful singing. “Winter Winds” is also an absolute folk beauty backed by a wonderful acoustic riff between each verse.
At last, the opener “Nothing More” is the 3rd Sandy Denny gem here. “The Sea” is another very attaching song also sung by Sandy. Among the songs songs not sung by her, “Peace in the End” and “The Way I Feel” are 2 other wonders. The first one has pleasant backing vocals while the second one has a haunting guitars backing and medieval melody in a fast tempo. There is not a single mediocre song here. This album is truly a must-have if you are into folk, folk-rock music. —Paul

Sandy Bull “Fantasias for Guitar & Banjo” (1963)

The face of folk music changed forever when Sandy Bull blended folk with jazz and Indian music on his otherworldly debut. He was years ahead of his time: in 1963 rock and folk music meant simple, three-minute songs while he was composing long, progressive, improvised jams. Bull also played nearly every instrument on the record and was an early adopter of using tapes while playing live. In “Blend” Bull and Ornette Coleman drummer Billy Higgins create a massive, supreme folk suite, with elements of traditional western and eastern music and American primitivism was born. “Carmina Burana Fantasy” is an interpretation of a classical piece (prog-rock?). “Gospel Tune” was folk with electric guitar two years before Bob Dylan plugged in. “Little Maggie” is  simple song for guitar and banjo. Everything is instrumental, monumental, and open-minded. Nearly fifty years later, Fantasias for Guitar & Banjo still sounds like music from another world. –Zielona

Pinball Wizard

The colorful pinball machine in our front window was a gift to the owner in 1999 and was the inspiration for our name. “Jive Time” the game was produced by the Williams Company and released in 1970. Our machine no longer works but it continues to greet each customer with its bright pink and orange Peter Max-style graphics, reminiscent of those in our album cover gallery Groove is in the Art. Thank you Jesse!

Ginger Baker’s Airforce (1970)

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

Boston “Boston” (1976)

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

Deface Value Submissions

We recently announced our latest online cover gallery, Deface Value, featuring authentically found or intentionally altered album art. Now you can see the covers in-person at Jive Time as well as submit your own! A revolving exhibit of our private collection along with our favorite submissions will be on display at Jive Time Records.

Submit a Cover

Bring a found, painted, drawn, doodled, collaged, or otherwise altered, budget bin LP to Jive Time Records and receive 15% off your entire music purchase! Additionally, our favorite entries will be featured on Deface Value and in our revolving semi-annual exhibits!

Keith Jarrett “Death and the Flower” (1974)

In the early 70s, Keith Jarrett formed two groups. One recorded for the German label, ECM, the other (as on this LP) for the traditional American Jazz label, Impulse. The Impulse team consisted of Paul Motian on drums, Dewey Redman on reeds, Charlie Haden on bass, Guilherme Franco on percussion and Jarrett on the grand piano. I prefer this group to the ECM band. In both bands, Jarrett never touched an electric keyboard. Everybody was into some kind of spiritual calling at that time; Jarrett is no exception as the album title and his “poem” on the cover show. Death And The Flower is an example of how Keith Jarrett helped shape the way Jazz was to sound in the future. A new “World Music” feel and the chamber music like intimacy make this an innovative LP. The music still sounds fresh and relevant. The first side of this album, recorded in ’74, is filled with the title track. It spends the first minutes to create an African atmosphere with percussion and flute. Then the double bass contributes a riff and eventually, the piano starts and after a searching phase, the beat carries the song to harmonic sequence of minor chords. As the song flows, each musician takes a chance to show his skills. Then, the song slows down just to pick up a new speed, and Keith provides an irresistible riff on the piano moving the band to a dense groove.

Prayer is a slow and quiet meditation showing how subtly this group plays. It’s amazing to hear how well each musician listens to what is going on. Jarrett’s improvisation demonstrates a strong influence of the classical tradition, notably Debussy, and at one point, he creates a minimalist pattern á la “Steve Reich”. The last song, Great Bird, recalls the Coltrane sound of his last years. Based on the theme (a falling sequence), there’s free collective improvisation. The band corresponds in dreamlike confidence. Death And The Flower, in a word, is recommendable, not just to Jarrett fans. –Yofriend

The English Beat “Wha’ppen” (1981)

When Wha’ppen hit stores in 1981, many (English) Beat fans probably wondered just that: What happened? Actually, in the short time between the releases of their frenetic 1980 debut and this more cerebral follow-up, lots happened. An increasingly unpopular prime minster lorded over a Great Britain still in the throes of a deep recession. Racism and nationalism ran rampant, and social decay seemed everywhere. Very few albums of this era reflect its troubled times as effectively as this Birmingham band’s sophomore effort. Musically, Wha’ppen denotes a departure from the classic ska influences of their debut, I Just Can’t Stop it, replaced with forays into other Jamaican forms such as roots reggae (“Doors of Your Heart”) and dub (“Cheated”). But these serve as mere jumping-off points. The band finds inspiration in other parts of the Caribbean (the calypso-infused “All Out to get You” and the steel drum-flecked “Over and Over”) and also the Mother Continent (the Soweto township jive-infused “French Toast”). But while these tropical influences make the arrangements sunny and bright, the subject matter is decidedly DARK. A close listen to much of the lyrics reveals an unsettling undercurrent of fear, paranoia, and dread. “Monkey Murders” delivers a cutting condemnation of domestic violence, “I Am Your Flag” questions the logic of dying for one’s country, and “Get-a-Job” addresses Britain’s spiraling unemployment. But the album’s most chilling moment is surely “Drowning”, a vicious attack on capitalist excess, wherein chief “toaster” Ranking Roger mocks the song’s upper-class fat-cat protagonist as he sinks to his watery grave. Some have criticized the silliness of the album’s closing track, “The Limits We Set”. After all, we’ve just endured a musical roller-coaster ride through all manner of serious social ills, and now we have a song about… shoplifting? But in actuality, it’s one of the Beat’s cleverest tracks, a song that reminds us that we’re no better than the corrupt leaders and institutions whom we condemn if we don’t hold ourselves to the same high moral standards. The Beat would make one more great album, the classy and eclectic Special Beat Service, before calling it quits, but this one was their most edgy and adventurous—a can of day-glo paint splattered across the grey and cracking facade of Margaret Thatcher’s Great Britain. If the 2 Tone movement had a Sgt. Pepper’s, this was definitely it. —Richard P