Stanley Clarke "School Days"
Today’s Cool Album of The Day (#655 of the Series) is Stanley Clarke, School Days We have a large number of musicians in our group. I KNOW they know this one!! Stanley Clarke was on a roll in 1976 when this was released. Playing bass for Chick Corea’s Return to Forever will do that for you. He had just released three albums. Children of Forever, Stanley Clarke and Journey to Love had both faired quite well. But School Days was a monster for him. The title track has been hailed as one of the most influential songs by a lead bassist in jazz fusion. “The Dancer” also got some play. It’s really too bad that rock radio doesn’t play albums...
Bob Marley + The Wailers “Rastaman Vibration”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#616 in the Series) is Bob Marley and the Wailers, Rastaman Vibration. I don’t know why I chose this one. I don’t know why I choose most of the albums I do. But this is one of those from my ‘yute’ that I played often. Maybe I was just getting into reggae and thought I was cool. I don’t know. Once again, not an artist’s best acclaimed, best selling, nor best known. This is just one that I happened to like. The most well known track is probably “Roots, Rock, Reggae.” Some of the other tracks of note were “Positive Vibration,” “Who the Cap Fit,” and “Crazy Baldhead.” This was released in...
Boz Scaggs “Silk Degrees”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (# 601 in the Series) is Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees 1976 was a banner year for the album format. Hotel California, Takin’ it to the Streets, Songs in the Key of Life, and Boston all charted in 1976. Silk Degrees generated four monster Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, “What Can I Say (42)”, “It’s Over” (38), “Lido Shuffle” (11), and “Lowdown (3)” may have been the best of the lot, and was the coming out party for Texas born guitar slinger Boz Scaggs. The album was released right in the heart of disco fever and was just before the titanic, or travesty depending on your point of view, Saturday Night Fever, and...
Return to Forever “Romantic Warrior”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#591 in the series) is Return to Forever, Romantic Warrior It was May 12th of 1982 when a group of friends and I were driving to the Asia show (at the fabulous Chicago Auditorium) when I plugged in this beauty of a piece into my 8-track player and when it came out of my Jensen Supersonic speakers, having heard it for the first time, they were blown away. If you never heard of this band you probably heard of the individuals that make up the groups line-up of jazz fusion superstars. This was largely keyboard master Chick Corea’s brainstorm, but to recruit the greatest fusion bassist in Stanley Clarke, guitar virtuoso (especially...
Heart “Dreamboat Annie”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#590 in the Series) is Heart, Dreamboat Annie. So I bet your first thought when you saw Heart as “Cool of the Day” was something along the line of, “What? Seriously?” Well, yeah absolutely this is a cool album. Sometimes when a band gets very popular it’s easy to forget how good one of the albums may be. This is it absolutely the case with the Heart’s debut album, “Dreamboat Annie.” When was the last time you listen to it? And I don’t mean just hearing “Magic Man” or “Crazy on You” on the radio. I bet it’s been awhile. This was a perfect example of an album that was written and...
UFO “The Chrysalis Years (1973-1979)”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (# 553 in the Series) is UFO, The Chrysalis Years, (1973-1979). I am going to delay with the normal album review inroduction and substitute it with: IT’S ALL HERE! ALL YOU COULD WANT FROM THIS SEMINAL 1970’S HARD ROCK JUGGERNAUT. AND IT COSTS LESS THAN NINETEEN DOLLARS ON LINE! Now that I have that out of my system…… UFO was a great heavy rock band that my friends and I worshipped as teenagers in suburban Chicago. My first show was UFO at the Aragon Ballroom on October 10, 1975. This group had everything. UFO possessed the piledriving rhythm section of Peter Way (bass) and Andy Parker (drums). They featured serviceable short term...
Budgie “I Were Brittania I’d Waive The Rules”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#550 in the Series is) Budgie, If I were Brittania I’d Waive the Rules. Budgie was a Welsh loud rock band that recorded most of their catalog in the 70’s. I always liked them because their sound always had a unique vibe to me. A little metal here, a little blues rock there, a little prog-rock here, etc. I always loved bands that you just can not pigeon hole. They had about six definitive albums. It was not the best reviewed, nor the best accepted, but for some reason I was always partial to Brittania. The main reason was one song, one that I always loved. (Whenever I had parties I used...
Roxy Music “Viva! Roxy Music”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#531 in the Series and #55 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is Roxy Music, Viva! Roxy Music. After the 1975 Siren album and tour, Roxy Music decided to take a break. The break would end up being four years. They would next reunite for 1979’s Manifesto. During that time, they decided to release their first live album. That album was Viva! Roxy Music. The album would consist of shows from three different shows on three different tours. The first being 1973’s show at the Apollo in Glasgow. Next would be a 1974 show at City Hall in Newcastle and finally a 1975 show at Wembley Arena. It was a nice hold-over until the...
Bad Company “Run With The Pack”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#458 in the Series) is Bad Company, Run With the Pack. No, it’s not their most popular album, no, it’s not their first album, and no, it’s not their classic album, it’s just the album that we happen to be featuring today. And it’s one I like as well. It was though, the album they were supporting for the tour in which I saw them, more on that later. I could have easily featured their debut, but we actually could not, that one will have to be saved for a future “Whale Wednesday” feature. For those not familiar with the term, on Wednesdays we also do some big hitter album, hence the name....
Be-Bop Deluxe “Sunburst Finish”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#454 in the Series) is Be-Bop Deluxe, Sunburst Finish. Create a list of 1970’s guitar heroes. Hendrix, Clapton, Richards, Schenker, Gallagher, Ronson, Jones, etc… Be-Bop Deluxe’s Bill Nelson wouldn’t get much mention. He should. Be-Bop Deluxe was a band formed in England in 1972. Classification of Be-Bop is a difficult proposition. In 1972 Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones dominated much of the rock world. Perhaps the most logical comparison may be that Be-Bop Deluxe was a poppier version of Roxy Music. Nelson was definitely the straw that stirred the Be-Bop drink. While each member of the band contributes mightily to the sound, every song builds to a burst...
