Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels “Live ’73”
Today’s Cool Live album of the Day (#544 in the Series and #57 in the Live Saturday Night Series) is Gram Parsons & the Fallen Angels, Live ‘73 (Sierra Records) Today we look at this special album by this special artist on a special day, for today, Gram Parsons would have been 65 years of age. I look at it as a bittersweet day, for as I celebrate his birthday I cannot help but wonder what would have been. What kind of music would Gram have been producing if those that were troubled and in need of help back in the early 70s could have received the help that they do today. Not that we have all the...
Corky Siegel “Corky Siegel”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#543 in the Series) is Corky Siegel’s self titled album, Corky Siegel. Corky was better known for his work with picker Jim Schwall in the Chicago based blues act, Siegel-Schwall Band but I was always partial to this solo release. Corky used to do tons of solo shows around Chicago in the late 70’s. That’s when I got to really know most of this material. I’d love to see him do this stuff at good ol’ “Connollys’ on Kedzie. The best known track here is “Half Asleep At The Wheel” other highlights included “Am I Wrong About You,” and “Mornin’ Corn.” Rollo Radford from Siegel-Schwall played on this solo disc as well. This...
Frank Zappa “Sheik Yerbouti”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day(#539 in the Series) is Frank Zappa’s Sheik Yerbouti. (Zappa Records) If you ask Frank Zappa fans which album of his is there favorite an I’ll guarantee, Sheik Yerbouti will get some votes. No It probably will not win, it might, but it will definitely be in the team picture. It’s a double album. (Why Not, Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s Freak Out! Was the first double album in Rock and Roll History) Some songs are length, extended solo guitar pieces. Some songs are tight, shorter radio friendly hits. Well, for progressive stations that don’t mind a little twisted lyric here and there. What are we referring to there? How ‘bout...
Nils Lofgren “Night after Night”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#537 in the Series and #56 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is Nils Lofgren, Night after Night. (A+M) I never could place it, I never could put my finger on it, but there has always been something about Nils Lofgren’s songwriting that I just love. I know I should be able to describe it in more concrete terms, but I just can’t. I’m not even referring to his guitar playing, we know that he has a whole second career as a great side-man guitarist, but I always loved his songs and his music as a front man on his own. Nils’s first step into a music career was actually in Crazy Horse,...
Tom Waits “Closing TIme”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#535 in the Series) is Tom Waits, Closing Time (Asylum) With the recent release of his first proper full length release since 2004, Bad as Me, I got to thinking about my somewhat tortured relationship with the enigmatic troubadour. Appreciating Tom Waits is like drinking a six pack of beer for the first time. Your first taste is kind of bitter where over indulging can cause a violent reaction the likes of which you probably have not experienced since that god awful last episode of “Cheers”. The chances of this first experience being a negative one increase exponentially especially if you’re Tom Waits de-flowering happened to be in the not so gentle arms...
Elton John “Madman Across the Water”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#534 in the Series and #34 in the Whale Wednesday Series) is Elton John, Madman Across the Water. (UNI, DJM Record) What a run Elton John was on at the outset of his career. On the Billboard Top 200 Chart, his first four albums reached, in order, #6, 4, 5 and 8. This was that fourth release and it actually only hit #8. The next six albums all hit #1. It was a truly, truly magnificent run. Oddly enough it only hit #41 in the UK. It would go on the sell over 2 million copies in the US alone. It’s interesting to note that the album I’m calling a Whale for Whale...
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...
Fleetwood Mac “Fleetwood Mac”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#526 in the Series and #33 in the Whale Wednesday Series) is the self-titled album from Fleetwood Mac. Has any band been through more incarnations than Fleetwood Mac? This was their 11th release. It was also the start of the Buckingham/Nicks era as they replaced Bob Welch who left after the previous album, Heroes Are Hard to Find. Do you remember that one? Heroes was actualy their most popular album to date. It reached #34 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. All that changed when the band left their blues/rock sound. The Fleetwood Mac album and its pop sound would eventually sell 5 million units in the States and would be their...
The Doobie Brothers “Stampede”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#525 in the Series) is The Doobie Brothers, Stampede In my self-appointed, largely ignored role as The Commissioner of Rock & Roll I am often called upon to provide an opinion, mediate a dispute, and generally regulate some of the finer points of the music industry to ensure certain rules are not violated, musical commandments are not broken, and the purity and essence of the art form is maintained. One very important aspect of this position is to provide a ruling as to what happens to a band name once the lead singer catches the dreaded LSS disease (lead singer syndrome) and leaves the band for seemingly greener pastures, band members quit, are...
Poco “Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood 9/30/71”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#523 in the Series) is Poco, Live at Columbia Studios Hollywood 9/30/71 Poco, Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood 9/30/71 while recorded over 40 years ago, did not surface until early in 2011. We’re glad it did. I say that because the first obvious reason, that I wanted to hear this, but also for a second, even more important reason. That being that this was a very important day in the bands history. It was a “coming out party” if you will, for the new line-up that would become the most popular in the bands history. Yeah, I know they did have a couple big hits much later, but this period will always be...
