Tony Joe White - Bad Mouthin'

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Classic blues, classic TJW

Apparently, according to the pre-release blurb, “Bad Mouthin' marks a notable shift in Tony Joe White's musical progression.” Well, perhaps. To me, though, it sounds like the rock-solid TJW we have come to know and love. He’s singing classic blues covers rather than his own material, but it’s unmistakeably TJW – which is just fine by me. The fabulous laid-back vocal delivery and that magical touch on the guitar are all there, plus some great acoustic work which goes perfectly with what he’s performing. There are some quite unusual takes on some of the songs here, too; Boom Boom, for example, sounds utterly different in tone from John Lee Hooker’s original or any cover I’ve ever heard, and it’s terrific, I think.

Put simply, if you like Tony Joe White or if you just like the blues, you’ll like this album – it’s a real master performing at the top of his game. Warmly recommended.

Tudor Lodge - Tudor Lodge

Rating: 3/5

Review
Not a classic

Plainly quite a few reviewers like Tudor Lodge very much, but for me it doesn’t add up to much. They’re aiming for a sort of Pentangle/Trees/Fairport sound in various places but they were nowhere near those great bands in quality. For me, this is much more of an interesting period piece than the “classic” claimed by the reissue blurb.

There are some nice tracks on it and the album begins with some good songs, but overall the material is pretty weak. Help Me Find Myself and Nobody’s Listening, for example, are forgettable pop songs, redeemed to some extent by good production and a fine backing band; I’ll listen to anything that Danny Thompson is playing on but, great though he is, much of this doesn’t merit ore than the occasional outing. Not terrible by any means, but not really recommendable either.

A Breath Of Fresh Air - A Harvest Anthology 1969-74

Rating: 4/5

Review:
A good anthology

This is a good, wide sample of some of the acts on Harvest, EMI’s progressive/experimental subsidiary label from 1969-74. As a compilation it’s excellent, but for me some of the music hasn’t aged well.

There is some great stuff on here: Michael Chapman, Roy Harper, Syd Barrett, Kevin Ayers, Pink Floyd and others show why their names are still well known. To me, though, some – like Third Ear Band, Quatermass and several others – show why their names aren’t. Nonetheless, it’s a very interesting snapshot of a fine, adventurous label which was rightly very well respected at the time. The thing about being adventurous is that some adventures end in success while others don’t. A label which will record both The Edgar Broughton Band and Shirley & Dolly Collins gets my vote, even if I don’t like some of its product.

So, hats off to Harvest and I can recommend this as a rewarding anthology with good sound. My guess is that it’s so eclectic that very few people will like all of it, but it’s well worth hearing for anyone with an interest in some adventurous music of the late 60s and early 70s.

Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky

Rating: 3/5

Review:
Great song, undistinguished album

This is a review of the original 1969 Spirit In The Sky album, not the Best Of compilation.

Spirit In The Sky is an amiable late-60s pop album. However, apart from the title track which is an unarguably monumental piece of pop genius, the rest doesn’t add up to much. There are one or two quite good tracks on it, like Alice Bodine, but nothing much that stands out as a track you’d make an effort to listen to again. It’s a little harsh to say that this shows why Norman Greenbaum was a One Hit Wonder, but as an album it fades into the background sound of the time without leaving much of a trace.

My advice – buy the single, which is superb, and don’t bother with the rest.

The Lively Ones - Surf Rider & Surf Drums

Rating: 4/5

Review:
Enjoyable stuff

This is a very enjoyable disc of instrumental surf music by a band who were quite well known in their day. It’s generally well done, with hard-drivin’ drums, echoey guitar and good tunes which have (of course) been excellently transferred to CD by Ace Records. These two albums certainly weren’t classics but they were more than competent in their style, so if it’s a style you like, I can recommend this.

The Law - The Law

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Great stuff

I managed to miss this album first time around, but I’m very glad to have heard it now. It’s a very good blues-rock album with good material and fine performances from Paul Rodgers, Kenney Jones and the band. Rodgers especially is on excellent form, which means that the vocals are something really special and they lift this well above the ordinary.

If you’re a fan of Paul Rodgers like me then just snap this up, and even if you just like really good blues-rock I can recommend The Law very warmly.