Category: Music

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Solo Albums VV-003

~ vinylvibrationsbrianfrederick

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Today we look at four Solo Album Artists… These are solo albums in the sense that the music was composed, arranged, performed, often recorded /mixed and produced by the solo artist. These albums are all from the time period of 1970-1972.

1. Pete Townshend and his 1972 solo album, “Who Came First”, on MCA
2. Stevie Wonder and his 1972 solo album, “Music Of My Mind” on Tamla records
3. Paul McCartney and his 1970 solo album titled “McCartney”, on Apple.
4. Todd Rundgren and his 1972 solo album, “Something-Anything”, produced on Warner Bros

M1 We know Pete Townshend as an english rock guitarist vocalist and songwriter — perhaps most famous for his rock opera “Tommy” — and for his over 100 songs composed and the dozen or so studio-produced albums of The Who. But Townshend is also an accomplished singer, keyboardist, synth, bass and accordion player as well as drummer. Amazing fact — he never had formal lessons on the instruments he plays! Here we are in 1972, and Pete Townshend comes out with this solo album ‘Who Came First’. We listen first to his song “Sheraton Gibson” from that solo album “Wh o Came First”, produced in 1972 by MCA –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

M2 Stevie Wonder’s Music of My Mind album, on Tamla, came out in 1972, and is a gem in his series of classic albums full of pop hits in the 1970s. Music of My Mind was produced by Stevie Wonder and written by Wonder, the album is described as ‘virtually the work of one man’. Every single instrument is performed by Stevie Wonder. Compositions, arrangements, performances, production – all Stevie. in 1972 –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

M3 Paul McCartney is one of the most influential songwriters of modern time. With Lennon Harrison and Starr, the Beatles changed the face of pop music forever. McCartney’s first solo album was an amazing work – released on Apple in 1970 – just two weeks before the last Beatles album “Let It Be” was released. On his solo album, McCartney plays the bass, and sings, of course, but he also plays the guitars, piano, drums and organ. The album credits indicate that all instruments and vocals are by Paul, and harmonies are by Linda McCartney. The album was written and produced by Paul. We listen now to “Maybe I’m Amazed” with a beautifully composed and skilled playing of his guitar solo, from the “McCartney” solo album LP in 1970 on Apple –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

M4 Todd Rundgren and “I Saw The Light” from his solo album “Something/Anything” on Warner in 1972. A double album, Something/Anything was an amazing work – all instruments, all voices, all songs, arranged and produced by Todd Rundgren in 1972 on Warner. Rundgren provides all instruments and vocals on three of four sides of these 2-LP set. Instruments include: vocals, keyboard, drums, lead and bass guitars, and percussion. Rundgren is a solid rock lead guitarist, and to have the added talent to play all parts, – it’s amazing. –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

M5 We listen now to On Breathless, Rundgren does overdubs on the keyboard parts, adds drums and percussion and sequencer /sample sounds, plays piano and guitar. In this instrumental composition we have a very colorful melody moving along with lots of musical harmonies –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

M6  Paul McCartney and “Sing Along Junk” from the “McCartney” solo album LP in 1970 on Apple. Paul is on rhythm and lead guitars, piano, drum set and synth. There is a full song version with vocals on that same album, a song titled “Junk”. The song you just heard is the “Junk” version WITHOUT vocals, the “karaoke” version, or “music plus one” version, if you will, and it is titled “Singalong Junk”. What a beautiful composition and instrumental on its own from solo artist Paul McCartney –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

M7 We close out today’s show with Stevie Wonder’s hit song “Superwoman”, from his solo album ‘Music of My Mind’. Here Stevie plays the keyboards, drums and bass, composes the song and produces the album. NOTE that there is a lead guitar solo provided by stand-in Buzzy Feiton. I do remember seeing Stevie Wonder in about 1968, at the Rubber Bowl in Akron Ohio, where Stevie was opening for the Rolling Stones. I remember Stevie’s show, he moved from keyboard to drums back to keyboard and to bass, moving all around that stage. It was a sight to see, knowing Steve is himself blind. Again, the song is Superwoman”, from Stevie Wonder’s solo album ‘Music of My Mind’, in 1972, –here on Vinyl Vibrations.

Jazz Fusion Part 2 VV-002

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PROGRAM SUMMARY

Today in Part TWO of Jazz Fusion, we look at FIVE more Jazz Fusion artists on …VINYL VIBRATIONS !

M1 Miles Davis and his “Bitches Brew” album 1970 Columbia. Miles Davis experiments with electric instruments like electric piano and electric guitar. Also we see more of an improvisational style with a rock rhythm. a double album – a studio album.  We listen to the song titled “John McLaughlin” on Bitches Brew.  This is an all-star cast–Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul on two electric pianos, John McLaughlin on electric guitar, Jack DeJohnette and Don Alias on two drum sets, Dave Holland and Harbey Brooks on two electric basses and of course on trumpet, Miles Davis.

M2  Return to Forever,  featuring Chick Corea. The recording and title song is “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy”. A phenomenal set of musicians — guitarist Bill Connors, Stan Clarke on Bass, Lenny White on Drums. This song provides examples of time changes, which Chick Corea thrives in, providing a high energy framework for Bill Connors to play lead guitar. A very mechanical song, with enough melodic component to to be interesting and tell a story about THE SEVENTH GALAXY —- The band is Return to Forever and the title song is “Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy”featuring Chick Corea, 1973, Polydor Records.

M3 Soft Machine and we listen to the album simply named “5”. On this 1972 CBS album, part 2 of the 2-part song “L.B.O., by John Marshall, the drummer.  The musicians are Elton Dean on Alto Sax, Saxello and Electric Piano, Hugh Hopper on Bass, Mike Ratlidge on Organ and Electric Piano, and John Marshall on Drums. Note the time changes, the improvisation, the use of electric saxello, electric piano, in a jazz format, with the rock beat.

M4 Pat Metheny and his 1976 album BRIGHT SIZE LIFE. We listened to UNQUITY ROAD, composed by Pat Metheny.  I remember seeing the very young Metheny back in 1977 at a small venue named Amazingrace, then  locatedat 845 Chicago Ave in Evanston IL. There, up on stage stood this white kid from Missouri, then 21, with huge a afro and and a very large hollow body electric guitar. This kid is really different. The guitar playing is like nothing I had heard before. Great technique, the scales, wide intervals, the melodic character of this music, the little excursions each of the songs take. And a very NEW sound with jazz “improvisation”  The bass sound is also new, because it is fretless and electric, that’s Jaco Pastorius on bass. Bob Moses Drums. Recorded in 1976, not in the US… but in Ludwigsburg, Germany, for ECM Records.

M5 SPACES. Next, we hear from the Band, Album, and title Song . . . all titled “SPACES”. Another all-star cast, featuring Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin on guitars, Billy Cobham on drums, Chick Corea electric piano, and Miroslav Vitous on bass….. Vitous playing a bowed bass, in this case, an electrified, acoustic bass. And the Coryell-McLaughlin guitar combination, works well … it’s surprising, as they have such different styles (Coryell’s fury and power vs McLaughlin’s texture and finesse). Much improvisation, much power in the guitar solo parts. This is a great instrumental album. The song SPACES was composed by Julie Coryell. This was originally recorded in 1971, and this release is 1974 from VANGUARD APOSTOLIC records.

M6 The Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin and the album “The Inner Mounting Flame” and the most laid back song on that album, if you will, a track named “Dawn” with John McLaughlin on Guitar, Jerry Goodman on Violin, Jan Hammer on Piano, Rick Laird Bass and Billy Cobham on Drums. Original composition of John McLaughlin. This first studio album, released in 1971, by Columbia Records.

Jazz Fusion VV-001

~ vinylvibrationsbrianfrederick

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This is the first post of VINYL VIBRATIONS by Brian Frederick. In today’s podcast we look at Part ONE of a two-part program on JAZZ FUSION. Today, we focus on the decade of development of JAZZ FUSION during the late 1960s and into the 1970s — during the “Golden Age of Vinyl” when many of the early works we will hear are found in Vinyl LP format. Jazz Fusion maybe not as much a musical style, but more of a MUSICAL APPROACH.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

M1 Gary Burton Quartet, their first album DUSTER in 1967 on RCA Records, vibraphonist Gary Burton, the song “LITANY”. Gary Burton – the jazz vibraphonist from Anderson Indiana.  Burton plays with Larry Coryell [guitar], Roy Haynes [drums], Steve Swallow [bass].  Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the usual two-mallets. He is also known for pioneering fusion jazz.   In 1967 BURTON formed the Gary Burton Quartet.   Predating the jazz-rock fusion craze of the 1970s, the group’s first record, Duster, combined jazz, country and rock and roll elements.

M2 John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra and the album APOCALYPSE, 1974 on CBS. With the London Symphony Orchestra, with Michael Tilson Thomas conductor. The song titled WINGS OF KARMA track one side 2. This album is produced by George Martin. Recorded in London 1974. McLaughlin is flexing his creative muscles, demonstrating, convincingly, that he can compose and arrange in a symphonic format, and work in his electric instruments, the electric piano, guitar and bass, and the rock drum set with . Jean Luc-Ponty is featured on electric violin. John McLaughlin on electric guitar, Gayle Morgan on keyboards, plus 9 other members of the LSO. Very powerful, a very new musical dimension, this sound, in 1974.

M3 The MOTHERS, and the album ..The Grand Wazoo, and the song “EAT THAT QUESTION”, on Reprise Records, Warner Bros Records, 1972. Produced by Frank Zappa. On woodwinds Mike Altshul and Joel Peskin, Sal Marquez on all brass, George Duke on Keyboards, Frank Zappa percussion, and Guitar Frank Zappa, Drums Aynsley Dunbar and Bass-the credit shows as “erroneous”! All selections composed and arranged (and produced) by Frank Zappa.

M4 Jean-Luc Ponty on electric violin and the album King Kong, the song “IDIOT BASTARD SON” by Frank Zappa, The album cover indicates “music for electric violin and low budget orchestra – composed and arranged by Frank Zappa. The electric violin has a natural footing, a solid role as a solo instrument in this new JAZZ FUSION genre.

M5 Jerry Goodman and Jan Hammer  the song “Stepping Tones, composed by Rick Laird on the “Like Children” album, Nemporer Records 1974. This is an interesting album from the standpoint that all of the performance talent on this record is supplied by only two persons — Jerry Goodman on on violins, electric guitar, electric mandolin, acoustic guitar, viola and — Jan Hammer on piano, drums, moog bass, moog lead, percussion.

M6 The MOTHERS “Peaches en Regalia” live track from  The MOTHERS and the “Fillmore East, June 1971” album, distributed on Reprise (Warner Bros) Records. Zappa is on electric guitar, Ian Underwood on keyboards, Aynsley Dunbar on drums, Jim Pons on bass, Don Preston on the mini-moog, and Bob Harris on 2nd keyboard. “Peaches en Regalia” was written by Frank Zappa and published by Frank Zappa Music.