Rosalie Cunningham - To Shoot Another Day

To Shoot Another Day is the third solo album from Rosalie Cunningham, and just like its predecessors, it’s a rollercoaster ride of everchanging sounds and styles.  Her songs are well-crafted with lyrics that are often fun and have a sense of whimsy (her partner Rosco Wilson co-wrote five songs).  Alongside her powerful vocals, the musicianship is fantastic with Cunningham and Wilson playing the bulk of the instruments along with drums from her former Purson bandmate Raphael Mura, and on 1 track Itamar Rubinger (ex-Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats), keys from David Woodcock, flute, clarinet and sax from Gong's Ian East and electric violin on one track from Ric Sanders of Fairport Convention.  The album artwork has a very movie industry look, which carries over into the title track that opens the album.  Musically it has a very strong, dramatic James Bond sound, but still stands on its own with a slinky swagger.  Album highlight “Timothy Martin’s Conditioning School” kicks off with a driving Beatles’ groove then adds elements of glam era Bowie and T Rex, resulting in an insanely infectious rocker with a chorus you will find yourself singing all day long.  The six minute plus “Heavy Pencil” is a powerhouse track that is constantly shifting from start to finish.  It opens with some super heavy psychedelic jazz funk with some flute thrown in, then shifts into a laid-back jazzier groove, before adding a little prog to the mix, complete with more flute, clarinet and sax. “Good To Be Damned” is slow and very dramatic with a somewhat cinematic feel that’s reminiscent of “Live And Let Die”, until the choruses kick in with their bouncy, almost celebratory cabaret vibe.  The smokey blues of “In The Shade Of The Shadows” features some great bluesy sax from East, also with a bit of a cabaret flair thrown in, and is followed by “The Smut Peddler”, a short instrumental that’s heavy and psychedelic with thick, fuzzed out guitar riffs, organ and clavinet, providing the perfect segue to the second half of the album.  The swirling psychedelic pop tune “Denim Eyes” takes things in a completely different direction and is absolutely gorgeous, sounding a little like the more adventurous side of The Carpenters.  It also features a fantastic guitar solo from Rosco at the end.  “Spook Racket” explodes out the gate with T Rex styled bombast full of blistering guitars, organ and “glam” handclaps, then towards the middle it slows down into a more haunting sounding song, and as if that wasn’t enough it closes like a gorgeous acoustic flamenco.  The modern-day waltz with a slight country lilt of “Stepped Out Of Time” is absolutely enchanting and brings us to the album’s closing track “The Premiere”, an epic, twisting turning prog track that starts and ends like a paso doble at a bullfight.  While the album ends here, there are two bonus tracks included on the CD that were originally released as a 7” in early 2024.  First up is the hook heavy “Return Of The Ellington”, a song that concludes the three-song arc started on her Two Piece Puzzle album with "Donovan Ellington" and "Donny, Pt. 2.”  While it actually is at times very reminiscent of Jethro Tull she gives it a kick in the pants with heavy fuzzed out guitars and organ along with Sanders’ electric violin and flute from Claudia Gonzalez Diaz from the band Cachemira.  “Home” is the other bonus track, and it is a fun, lighthearted whimsical pop tune that will put a smile on your face.  To Shoot Another Day is absolutely one of my favorite albums to come out this year.

(Esoteric Antenna)

  

Warrior featuring Vinnie Vincent - The Complete Sessions

It was the Spring of 1982, and New England was getting ready to record their fourth album.  Todd Rundgren was on board to produce once again (he had produced their last album), but before they ever made it to the studio, guitarist and vocalist John Fannon quit the group.  The three remaining members, keyboardist Jimmy Waldo, bassist Gary Shea and drummer Hirsh Gardner put out the word they were looking for a replacement.  Gene Simmons contacted them and said they were working on the Creatures Of The Night album and he was working with Vinnie Cusano, who was a guitarist, songwriter and vocalist.  He told them that while he was a great guitarist, he was too short for KISS, but he would be a great fit for them.  They exchanged tapes and made plans for him to go to Massachusetts to audition, but they really liked his songs and when he got there, they had learned them all.  Because of this they decided that instead of this being the next incarnation of New England that they should form a brand-new band and decided on the name Warrior.  The next step was to fly to LA to work on the new material during the day while Vinnie continued to work with KISS at night.  They set up recording time at the Record Plant Los Angeles with hope of getting a record deal, and also decided to bring in a new vocalist, because Vinnie wanted to focus on his guitar playing.  He wanted someone who could sing in a high-pitched voice, choosing Fergie Frederiksen, formerly with the band Le Roux, over Robert Fleischman, who would end up back with Vincent in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion (he also fronted Journey for five months before Steve Perry joined the band).  Frederiksen’s time in the band was very short lived and Vincent once again took over on vocals, while Frederiksen joined Toto.  Unfortunately for the other three members, while they were in the process of mixing the recordings, and less than ninety days after the band got started, Vinnie joined KISS as Vinnie Vincent, the band came to an end and the recordings ended up on the shelf.  At this point, Gardner moved on to producing and Shea and Waldo teamed up with Graham Bonnett and Yngwie Malmsteen to form Alcatrazz.  Fast forward thirty-five years to 2017, and HNE Recordings released a collection of these recordings.  They followed that up two years later with more recordings that had been discovered (some of them better quality) in Gary Shea's personal archive.  Now with the release of The Complete Sessions they have compiled both collections into a three CD box set.

Disc one opens with the demos originally recorded by the band, along with some alternate and writing demos of a couple additional songs.  Half of these songs ended up being released a few years later on the two Vinnie Vincent Invasion albums.  While for the most part those versions aren't that far removed from the demos, they tend to be more radio friendly with a bit of a glam sound while the Warrior versions are heavier with more of a rock ‘n’ roll grit.  Tracks like “Boyz Gonna Rock”, “Baby O Why” (“Baby O” on VVI), although missing the killer guitar solo outro found on the album, and “That Time Of Year,” which is heavier thanks to Waldo’s keyboards, really showcase this.  Several of the tracks that didn’t make those releases are quite notable including the standout “Gypsy In Her Eyes,”, “I Need Love” and the ballad “Tears”, which was later recorded by John Waite.  There is also “It Ain’t Pretty … Being Easy” that’s not necessarily one of the stronger cuts but sounds like it was tailor made for KISS.

Disc two opens with “Thrill Of The Chase,” which is actually a demo from 1988.  Waldo and songwriter Steven Rosen had recorded a demo and when Vincent heard it, he liked it so much that Warrior went into the studio and recorded it with Mark Slaughter on vocals.  It’s a solid melodic rock track with some great guitar work from Vincent that would’ve fit right in with the songs of that era.  With the exception of a demo of “My Heart Goes With You,” the remaining tracks on this disc are rehearsals and vocal demos.  Especially interesting is the twenty minute recording of “That Time Of Year” and “Forbidden” where you can really hear them working through those songs.  While these are largely for completists and not really something you will find yourself listening to over and over they do provide an interesting listen into the inner workings of these songs.

Further insight into some of the songs can be found on the first seven tracks on disc three, which are instrumentals recorded during rehearsals.  Without the vocals you can really hear the composition of these tracks.  The final five songs were recorded during the rehearsals with Fergie Frederiksen on vocals.  While Vincent’s vocals are strong on the prior recordings, there is a rich, soulful sound to these versions with Frederiksen that take them to a whole new level and make the unfulfilled potential of this band even more apparent.  It's unfortunate their time together was so short and we never got a real release, but thanks to HNE we can still hear the potential of what could have been.

(HNE Recordings)

The Eradicats - Best In Show

Recorded in their home studio, The Litter Box, Best In Show is the debut EP from the Kansas City four-piece The Eradicats.  Musically it’s a somewhat lo-fi combination of punk, pop and ska with lyrics that have the whimsical, but at times educational, sense of humor similar to They Might Be Giants.  The EP opens with “Serious Medical Condition”, a ragged punk tune that reminds me a bit of early Nirvana and deals a very important issue - crooked teeth.  Bassist Kristi steps up to the mic to handle the vocals on “New Best Friend”, a raw, kind of dirty punk tune detailing her obsessive relationship with said “friend”.  The short biographical “Billy Bowlegs” brings to mind The Replacements and tells about the life of the “Alligator Chief”, who was a leader of the Seminoles in Florida in the early 1800’s during the Second and Third Seminole War.  On “Frank and the Lighthouse” they shift gears, adding some ska to the mix, with lyrics about climbing a lighthouse to see Frank, the lighthouse keeper.  “Dave Griffin” is a high energy track that’s a cross between power pop and The Pixies.  With tongue firmly planted in cheek, it details the exploits of a stunt horse who “according to the song”, not only was a stunt driver for Steve McQueen, but also sang the high notes for Ricky Nelson in Rio Bravo.  The twenty-three second “Our Last Song” closes the EP and basically tells you what it is.  

(The Eradicats - Bandcamp)

Various Artists - Joe Meek: 1962 - From Taboo To Telstar, Hits, Misses, Outtakes, Demos and More

From Taboo To Telstar is the latest in the outstanding series on Cherry Red Records dedicated to recordings from Joe Meek's infamous Tea Chest Tapes.  Unlike the previous releases, this is the first in what will be a series of chronological releases dedicated to his work by year and covers the year 1962.  Meek recorded over 150 songs that year and this three disc box set contains 93 of them, including 52 that are previously unheard.

  

His biggest song that year, and for that matter his career, was “Telstar” by The Tornados. That unique, way before it’s time, predecessor to space rock, instrumental is the perfect example of Meek’s studio experimentation.  It not only topped the UK Singles Chart, but also was the first British song to reach number 1 on the US Hot 100 Charts.    In addition to an alternate take by The Tornados, it is also represented here with Meek’s demo where he is singing the part that would eventually be played on clavioline (an early keyboard instrument similar to a Moog synthesizer), and in a demo of Kenny Hollywood’s “Magic Star,” a vocal version of the song (several other tracks from The Tornados appear here and never fail to show that Meek influence).  While that song became the one he’s identified with more than any, as you make your way through these three discs, it’s amazing the diversity that he managed to pump out of his studio at 304 Holloway Road in that one year.  The other half of the album’s namesake, The Charles Blackwell Orchestra’s take on “Taboo” gets things rolling and while it’s swinging jazz will get you moving, the flipside is the infectious “Midnight In Luxembourg”, a spacey jazz pop tune reminiscent of Esquivel.  Of course, there were also instrumentals from Meek’s original studio band The Outlaws (The Tornados were actually created to lessen their recording load), as well as Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers and The Packabeats (including their outstanding jazzy surf “Theme From The Traitors”).  Don Charles and Michael Cox were more traditional singers of the era, singing ballads that were fifties and early sixties sounding pop and rock, while Mark Douglas and Neil Christian had songs with more of the sixties “beat” pop with that Joe Meek touch.  The influence of Buddy Holly is very strong at times with Mike Berry on “It’s Just A Matter Of Time” and “Don’t You Think It’s Time” along with John Leyton on “Lone Rider” (his “Down The River Nile” is definitely on of the highlights here). On the other hand, Danny Rivers & The River Men often brings to mind Eddie Cochran, and The Dowlands were two brothers with strong vocal harmonies that were quite reminiscent of The Everly Brothers.  The instrumentals from The Stonehenge Men are horn-driven dance tunes, while The Moontrekers harken back to the effects heavy space sounds of his I Hear A New World album with The Blue Men.  Those quirky space effects are also here on Pat Reader’s novelty song “Cha Cha On The Moon”, while her “May Your Heart Stay Young” is a more traditional orchestrated ballad.  There is early rock ‘n’ roll from Tony Victor with “Dear On” and R&B and rockabilly from Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers with The Peppermints.  Often with orchestrated strings and effects, Andy Cavell’s tunes tend to have a cinematic feel to them, and with Houston Wells and the Marksmen, Meek dabbled in the world of country music, although as can be heard on the “North Wind”, which was not traditional “country music”, they were enhanced further with that Meek production.  On the quirkier side there’s Alan Klein with the skiffle of “Striped Purple Shirt” and “Three Coins In The Sewer”, complete with sound effects provided by Clem Cattini dropping marbles in the toilet, and Ray Dexter & The Layabouts with the “especially dirty for 1962” “The Coalman’s Lament”.

Unlike the majority of the songs on discs 1 and 2, which were released as singles or album tracks (although many of the ones here are alternate versions), most of disc 3 is previously unreleased.  There are five demos featuring Geoff Goddard, who released four singles as a solo artist, but was best known for working with Meek as a songwriter.  His performance of “Thunder Mountain” has hints of “This Land Is Your Land”, while the Buddy Holly influence can be heard on “Lover, Lover” and “Guess That’s The Way It Goes.”  There are unreleased songs from several other artists that weren’t on the previous discs.  Among these are four demos from Kenny Hollywood, including his aforementioned vocal demo of “Magic Star” and his demo of “Ill Cry Tomorrow”, which was later recorded by The Honeycombs.  There is also a stereo version of the instrumental “Oh What A Charlie” from The Flee-Reckers, a couple of really strong cuts from Ricky Wayne, the dramatic “Two Brothers” from The Ferridays (how does a song like this go unreleased), and “It’s Almost Tomorrow” from The Foresters, at times strangely sounding a little like “Puff, The Magic Dragon” (also recorded in 1962).  Cuts from Billie Davis (here singing “Merry Go Round”, a song that would be released the following year by Meek artist Gunilla Thorn), Geri Harlow and a third from an unknown artist all originally appeared on Do The Strum, the Tea Chest Tapes compilation of female artists that Meek worked with.  There is also an alternate mix of Jenny Moss’ “When My Boy Comes Marching Home Again” that appeared on that compilation in its original version, as well as “Time To Go”, a whispery ballad from Jackie, another female vocalist he worked with that year, but whose work did not appear on that compilation.  Some of the other highlights on disc three include a couple of really strong demos from Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers (“I Get Up In The Morning” and “Avenue Of Loneliness”), the country-tinged surf tune “Outcast”, from The Stonehenge Men and Mark Douglas’ “Riding The Rails”.  From Taboo To Telstar (1962: A Year In The Life Of 304 Holloway Road) is a fascinating glimpse into the diverse world of Joe Meek in 1962 that really has me looking forward to future comps from the following years.  

(Cherry Red Records)

Death Sells - Death Sells

Following last year’s debut single “Cold Heat”, the Dutch band Death Sells are back with their eponymous debut EP.   They kick things off with “Confusion”, which was the EP’s first single.  It's loud, aggressive noise rock with a raw punk energy, that does a great job of relaying a sense of panic through its intensity and Michaela Nitsotoli’s vocals.  “Dark Gloves” is up next and while it’s a heavy rocker, the hypnotic, swirling guitars and pop hooks will have you bopping your head uncontrollably.  Shifting in the complete opposite direction, “Cool Homicide” is a slow, dark and extremely intense tune about a woman who kills her boyfriend after he cheats on her, bringing to mind elements of bands like Black Sabbath and Type O Negative.  Opening with a thumping bass that continues throughout the track, “MF” is raw, out of control noisy punk.  Next up is “Despair”, a pummeling blast of explosive noise interspersed with taut, almost introspective sections punctuated by short guitar blasts and near spoken word vocals.  Rounding out the EP is “State Of Mind”, which once again brings out the band’s more melodic side, but with a dizzying, high intensity drive.  If you like your music loud, raw and intense, but with a side of melody, then Death Sells may be just what you need.   

(This Could Be Your Music Label) (Death Sells)

Slik - The Complete Slik Collection

After numerous personnel changes, and a shift away from hard rock to pop, in 1974 the Glasgow based band Salvation settled on a four-piece lineup and changed their name to Slik.  At this same time, The Bay City Rollers were ending their relationship with songwriters Bill Martin and Phil Coulter, who had been responsible for most of their hit songs.  This led to the four-piece, now consisting of Jim (Midge) Ure on guitar and lead vocals, Jim McGinlay on bass, Billy McIsaac on keys and Kenny Hyslop on drums, signing to the Martin-Coulter Productions company.  Over the next three years, they released one eponymous album and numerous standalone singles (many written by Martin and Coulter), including the UK hits "Forever and Ever" and "Requiem", hitting number one and twenty-four respectively, on the UK charts.  These are all included here as well as some bonus tracks from three bands that members formed after Silk.  While they definitely had plenty of songs that were reminiscent of the poppy glam of the Rollers (“Boogiest Band In Town”, “The Getaway”) and the more glam rock sound of the extremely catch “The Kid’s A Punk” (complete with sax), there was really a lot more diversity in Slik’s sound.  For starters, the two hit singles both had strong elements of prog but mixed in glam (“Forever and Ever”) and Beatles-like pop (“Requiem”).  There are also New Wave pop tracks like “Do It Again”, “Don’t Take Your Love Away” and “It’s Only A Matter Of Time” and ballads like the Beatles-esque “Darlin’” with its great harmonies and “Better Than I Do”, which is more of a power ballad.  “Everyday Anyway” found them dabbling in reggae, “Again My Love” is almost easy listening, and there were even dance tunes like “Dancerama”, which is pretty much disco, and “Bom-Bom”, a calypso cover of an Exuma song that also includes what sounds like a talkbox.  By the time the band recorded their last single they were starting to embrace the punk scene, something that is on full display on the b-side “No Star”.  Right before their last tour as Slik, McGinlay left and was replaced by Russell Webb, followed a short time later by their decision to change their name to P.V.C.2.  Under that moniker they released an outstanding three track single of raw, aggressive punk that’s included here among the bonus tracks.  By the time the single was released, Ure had left the band to join the Rich Kids, and the remaining members teamed up with singer / guitarist Willie Gardner to form Zones.  Rounding out the bonus tracks are a couple of Zones songs showcasing their infectious new age / power pop and the Rich Kids version of P.V.C.2’s “Put You In The Picture”, which is a little more polished than the original, but loses none of that raw punk edge.  While their time in the spotlight was very short, The Complete Slik Collection showcases a band that had alot going for them with song after song full of infectious hooks and strong harmonies.    

(7T's)

Max Koste - 1999

I’ll start off by saying that beyond the fact that he’s a Swedish multi-instrumentalist and producer, I know virtually nothing about Max Koste.  That’s not for lack of trying, I scoured the internet and could find almost nothing about him.  What I can tell you is that his new EP 1999 is a fantastic collection, which makes the fact that his internet presence is pretty much non-existent that much more confounding.  “Funk Baby” gets things started and is a massively infectious track with a laid-back, soulful psychedelic groove that digs in and sticks until the end.  That psychedelia is present throughout the EP from the indie pop of “Love Is A Game” and the shoegazer “Something In The Air” to the slow burning rockers “Never Knew How Much I Needed You” and “Nothing To Lose” (this one has a hint of The Pixies).  I would highly recommend hunting this one down.  

The Aerovons - World Of You: The Complete Recordings

In late 1963, 12-year-old Tom Hartman was captivated by The Beatles after seeing a news story about them on TV.  As a result of this he ended up spending hours and hours with his guitar learning how to play "I Want To Hold Your Hand".  After a stint in the local St Louis band The Dartels, in 1966 Hartman formed his own band, The Aerovons.  That initial lineup went through some personnel changes and in late 1967 consisted of original members Hartman (lead vocals, guitar, piano) and Bob Frank (rhythm guitar) along with Nolan Mendenhall (bass) and Mike Lombardo (drums).  Tom's mother (also their manager at this point) told them the best thing for them to do was record an original song, so they booked a studio and recorded "World Of You" accompanied by a hired cellist. A short time later a rep from Capitol Records stopped by the studio, heard the demo, and asked if they wanted to go to LA to audition.  Hartman said he would prefer to record in London at Abbey Road, where The Beatles record.  Capitol put them in touch with EMI's UK chief Roy Featherstone and in January 1968 they went to London to meet the band.  In the fall of that year they were signed.  The label told them they wanted them to wait until March to record and to go home and write songs.  By the time they got to the studio there had been more lineup changes with Billy Lombardo (Mike's brother) now on bass and Phil Edholm on rhythm guitar.  Featherstone had decided that they had enough good songs to release an album, but the band ended up recording them as a trio after getting rid of Edholm, who was complaining that they didn't consider his songs.  The album was finished in June 1969, and they headed back to the States, but before they could return to London for the album launch, drummer Mike Lombardo left the band after dealing with personal issues in his marriage.  This left them with only two members, and while they did end up releasing two singles, since that meant they couldn't promote the record, the label canceled its release.  Fast forward to 2001 and the album finally got a vinyl release, followed by a CD release in 2003, which included four bonus tracks.  Now with the new 2 CD set World Of You: The Complete Recordings all of those tracks have been reissued, along with outtakes, demos, alternate version and more, including eleven previously unreleased tracks.

As you make your way through the album and singles on disc one, it is more than apparent how much of an influence The Beatles were on tracks like "With Her" and "Something Of Yours", which are primarily guitar, vocals and drums with a little keys on the latter.  There are also a few where it’s more than that.  Apparently, an EMI engineer let Hartman hear “Across The Universe” and “Oh Darling” before they were released and he said he heard them a little too well, resulting in “Resurrection” and “Say Georgia” sounding extremely similar to those two songs.  Having said that, songs like their debut single "The Train" draw strongly from early Bee Gees (flipside “A Song For Jane” is a gorgeous, acoustic psychedelic tune that was strong enough to be the A-side), while the second single, the gorgeous baroque pop tune "World Of You" walks the line between both The Beatles and Bee Gees (the 1967 demo, with just a cellist they hired instead of the full string section, is also included here).  They showcase their vocal harmonies on “Words From A Song”, a slower tune with a nice arrangement that brings to mind The Lettermen, and “Quotes And Photos” is a slow, kind of lazy, blues track with some great guitar work.  Some of the other tracks that bring to mind The Beatles include "She's Not Dead", which has a bit of a jazz beat, the bouncy "Everything's Alright", that has a chorus a bit like "With A Little Help From My Friends", and the captivating psychedelic suite "The Children" (there is also an alternative version with Edholm on vocals).

The second disc contains a demo Hartman wrote upon returning home after the band broke up, his solo single that was released in 1971, some songs he recorded over the years from 1980 to 2020 and then released as an album in 2021, and a handful of previously unreleased songs he recorded after 2020.  For his solo single "Sunshine Woman", Hartman went in a more hard rock direction than his previous work, sounding a bit like the Stones, while the flipside "A Little More" was a very McCartney influenced ballad.  The songs on the 2021 album still have a lot of that McCartney sound, but often with elements of power pop that weren’t really present on his earlier work.  The influence of Jeff Lynne and ELO can be heard at times, especially in a song like “Shades Of Blue”, while “The Things Went Tonight”, with its fantastic harmonies, has The Beach Boys written all over it.  There isn’t a bad cut among these eight cuts, but the definite standout to me is the brilliant “Swinging London.”  The final six cuts were recorded after 2020 and while they are more polished and produced, they still continue down the path he laid over fifty years earlier.  “Here” is a gorgeous Beatles-ish ballad, “Airline 59” harkens back to early Bee Gees, “Mary’s Purple Village” has that late sixties psychedelic sound and “Little Red Rocket” is pure power pop.  This two-CD set is an outstanding release that not only shines the light again on this once largely undiscovered band, but also does a great job of showing what mainman Tom Hartman has been up to over the years.  Per the liner notes, The Aerovons advertised themselves as “the fabulous group with that ‘smashing’ English sound” – were influenced by The Beatles, but also by The Who, The Bee Gees, The Kinks and, in Tom’s own words, “others who were masters of the hook-laden single”, which absolutely describes them perfectly.  

(Grapefruit)