King Crimson “In The Court of the Crimson King”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#681 in the Series) is King Crimson, In The Court of the Crimson King My father used to be a member of this old time Italian club when I was a child. I always thought it was pretty cool. The club was called The Roseland Operetta Club. No, they didn’t sing, or promote Operas by this time but that was indeed how it was formed. The club had some nice grounds that included picnic areas and some killer bocce courts. The front door was always locked, but all members had the key. I really thought it was neat how you had to unlock it to get in. Heck, I was just a...
Vanilla Fudge “Vanilla Fudge”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#678 in the Series) is the debut from Vanilla Fudge. This was another one of those albums that was in my older sister’s record collection as a kid. In fact, one of my sisters saw Vanilla Fudge when they were still playing little bars when they would come thru Chicago. That must have been pretty darn cool. However, if you saw them touring for this album, you really didn’t know what they would become. This was their debut, and it was all cover tunes. As we’re well aware, releasing an album of complete covers is en vogue now, but it wasn’t at the time. It was even more surprising considering the completely...
The Guess Who “Canned Wheat”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#615 in the Series) is The Guess Who, Canned Wheat How about a little Guess Who for today’s Cool Album of the Day, eh? It’s actually about time we got to this great Canadian band considering they’re one of the better bands to emerge from the late 1960s. I’ve wanted to do a piece on them for quite some time but I had to go back and give their stuff another listen. I was a fan of theirs when they were current, but most of the time the only album of theirs and I had was The Guest Who, Greatest Hits. You might not be aware but we do not cover greatest...
Bobby “Blue” Bland “Two Steps From the Blues”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#613 in the Series) is Bobby “Blue” Bland, Two Steps From the Blues Released in 1961, the Bobby “Blue” Bland masterpiece, Two Steps From the Blues is generally considered to be a classic in the blues genre and a must-have disc on your own personal desert island. While this recording is not an original “album” in the strictest sense of the word since in keeping with a common practice of the day it is actually a compilation of singles, it is a perfect, soulful, bluesy, passion-filled representation of an iconic bluesman at the absolute peak of his powers. Not your prototypical blues artist, Bobby doesn’t play an instrument like Buddy Guy or...
Fred Neil “Fred Neil”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#603 in the Series) is the self-titled release from Fred Neil (Capitol) What about old Harry Nilsson, brilliant wasn’t he? Although he was never one for performing live, he more than made up for it by making some superb music in the studio. He was a wonderful singer and an absolutely top-notch songwriter. It’s one of those strange and ironic quirks of fate then that Harry, probably best known to the public at large as the singer of two fantastic hit singles, didn’t actually write either of them himself. Which brings us neatly enough to the main subject of this piece, Fred Neil. Well, in a minute anyway………. Nilsson’s biggest hit, a...
Mason Proffit “Wanted”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#598 in the Series) is Mason Proffit, Wanted. The Mason Proffit name is quite well known in these Chicago parts. I’m really not so sure outside of this market. I look forward to hearing from those not in our backyard. Mason Proffit was a mid to later 60s to early 70s band that was founded and fronted by the Talbot brothers, Terry and John-Michael. They both played guitar and supplied the writing and the vocals. They were actually one of the originators of country-rock. It would be nice to see their name included more when someone tosses out names on the subject. They really should be recognized more. One song that you may...
Woody Allen “Stand-Up Comic (1964-1968)”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#561 in the Series and #59 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is Woody Allen, Stand Up Comic (1964-1968) We’re really going to go into a different direction today as we’re going to feature our first comedic album. Yeah, and I’m sneaking it in as a “live” one as well, mainly because it indeed is a recording of three live stand-up routines. This is very early Woody Allen, very, very early. “Stand-Up Comic” is a compilation of three performances from 1964 thru 1968. The first part was recorded at Mr. Kelley’s in Chicago in ’64. Part two was from the Shadows in DC the same year while the last part was 4...
The Beach Boys “Smile”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#541 in the Series) is The Beach Boys, SMiLE Is SMiLE a magnificent work of inspired musical genius or an over-hyped load of half-formed, unfinished nonsense? You decide! Rumour, speculation, lies, half-truths, assumptions, deliberate misleads and red herrings, guesswork………it seems that SMiLE has been, and no doubt shall continue to be, the subject of all of the above and lots more besides. For many people, their opinion of this album (regularly cited as “the greatest lost classic” of all time) depends on not just the music which has crept out over the years, but also upon just whose version of events they choose to believe. And everyone involved with SMiLE seems to have...
Laura Nyro “Eli and the Thirteenth Confession”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#529 in the Series) is Laura Nyro, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession Laura Nyro is Randy Newman without the Disney movie soundtracks. Known more for the songs she has written for other people that have gone on to become monster hits than her own releases, her musical output rivals only Carole King as one of the greatest singer song -writers of her generation and a hit-making machine. A partial list of Laura Nyro penned hits includes “Stoney End” for Barbra Streisand, “Eli’s Coming” for Three Dog Night, “Wedding Bell Blues” for The Fifth Dimension, and the fantastic “And When I Die”, that became a monster hit for Blood Sweat and Tears. The real...
James Gang “Yer’ Album”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#515 in the Series) is The James Gang, Yer’ Album Contrary to what popular opinion and what Don Mclean will tell you, the music did not die on February 3rd 1959 when the plane carrying The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly crashed into an Iowa corn field. In reality “The Day the Music Died” was actually that fateful day in 1977 that the novelty song “Disco Duck” made it to number one on the billboard charts. Sure there had been other apocalyptic signs that rock music had “jumped the shark” and was destined for decades of mediocrity, not the least of them being the popularity of Air Supply, the song “Horse...
