Adam Ant: Wonderful (Capitol Records/1995)

It had been five long years since Adam Ant released an album when Wonderful appeared in March of 1995. However, this was not through any fault of his own.

In 1991 he'd recorded Persuasion, his would-be second album for MCA Records with longtime collaborator Marco Pirroni on guitar and the former Chic rhythm section of Bernard Edwards on bass (and doing double-duty as producer) and Tony Thompson on drums. Persuasion was to be the follow-up to the fairly-successful Manners & Physique album (which contained the Top-20 hit "Room At The Top"). Apparently MCA - who'd been a floundering label in the early 1990's - was entirely restaffed from top to bottom. The people who were in Adam's corner were long gone and the label implemented an absurd policy of "release only albums that are guaranteed to go platinum". Persuasion - which is a much better album than Manners & Physique in every way and would've sat nicely alongside other alternative dance of the day like Jesus Jones' Doubt and The Soup Dragons' Hotwired albums - was put indefinitely in the vaults of MCA. To this day MCA refuses to release it, licence any material from it, or even discuss it (!). 

After being released from his contract with MCA Ant signed with EMI in the UK and Capitol in the US. In the interim however, Adam suffered multiple stalkers (one of which held Adam at gunpoint after breaking into his home), being placed in a mental institution in late 1994 which led to the breakup with his girlfriend actress Heather Graham and ultimately exacerbating his bipolar disorder.

Recorded at Abbey Road in the Spring of 1994 with a band of Ex-Polecat/Morrissey sideman Boz Boorer and Pirroni on guitars, Bruce Witkin on bass and drum duties shared by Dave Ruffy of The Ruts and John Reynolds (whom Pirroni had worked with previously on the Sinéad O'Connor albums he'd played on). Produced by David Tickle (Split Enz, Divinyls), the album has a mellower feel than what Ant is generally known for and is similar in feel to fellow New Wave comeback albums like Duran Duran's Wedding Album and then-new artists like The Cramberries' Everybody's Doing It So Why Can't We?.

The album is littered with low-key glam stompers like "Vampires", "1969 Again" and the rollicking single "Gotta Be A Sin" (the chorus of which contains the chords to T. Rex's "Jeepster", backwards). Swaggering tracks like "Very Long Ride" and "Beautiful Dream" (both co-written by Kings-era Ant bassist Kevin Mooney). Ballads like "Yin & Yang", "Won't Take That Talk" and the album's soaring title-track - the album's lone Top-40 hit. "Wonderful" was Adam with his heart on his sleeve, something he'd never done in the past. And it actually was poignant and effective enough to be a real hit. 

Although, this may be damning it with faint praise, the album is loaded with subtle, adult, minor pop songs that have been largely overlooked and/or simply forgotten about. Sonically, the album is reminiscent of Morrissey's Vauxhall And I and is like nothing else in the Antman's catalog. 

Recommended. 

The Beach Boys: Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered And Unplugged (Capitol Records/2015)

In the Autumn of 1965, Brian Wilson was composing and preparing The Beach Boys' legendary Pet Sounds album. 1965 also saw the release of two top-five charting albums (The Beach Boys Today! and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)) which both show Wilson's maturing as a songwriter and a producer. By the middle of the Summer Capitol had been hounding the band for a new album to release for the Holiday shopping season. However, the band didn't have anything prepared. So, Brian Wilson came up with the idea of recording an album where the band sounds like they're just hanging out at a party with their friends and just performing acoustic cover versions of some of their favorite songs. The only instruments heard are acoustic guitar, bass, tambourine and bongos.

The album contained covers by Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Phil Spector and three songs by The Beatles. Plus the novelty songs "Alley Oop", "Hully Gully" & "Papa Oom Mow Mow". The band's cover of "Barbara Ann" from this album was rush released as a single by Capitol when the bands' non-album single "The Little Girl I Once Knew" stalled at #20 on Billboards single charts. Apparently, "The Little Girl I Once Knew" was taking too long a time, slowly building momentum, in becoming a hit for the label's liking.  "Barbara Ann" reached #2 on the charts. Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean sings co-lead on the track with Brian Wilson.

To add a party atmosphere to the album, the bands recorded an ambient track of just chatter, clinking of glasses and general party noises which pervades the entire album. Capitol record has just released Uncovered and Unplugged, which is the album without the backround ambient track and just the band playing and singing in the studio. The vinyl version is a beautiful reproduction of the album with labels faithful to the original mid-60's Capitol label. And the CD contains two discs of the album itself and virtually all of the outtakes as well. Including versions of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Ticket To Ride" and "California Girls".

The album itself is unwittingly a virtual snapshot of the pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys. How they were and never would be again.

Highly recommended for the Beach Boys connoisseur and for maybe a listen for the Beach Boys novice as well.

Here's The Video Review:



Special Thanks to Dave Rerecich of T.V. Games.

The Beach Boys: The Smile Sessions (Capitol Records/2011)

By 1966 Brian Wilson was, creatively speaking, the king of the pop world. As leader and producer of The Beach Boys he'd been responsible for dozens of hit singles and albums. He'd also produced and written several singles for other artists as well. In three years he'd basically spearheaded an entire industry with selling California and it's appeal to the entire world. 1966 saw the release of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, an album that was inspired by Rubber Soul and in turn was single-handedly responsible for inspiring The Beatles to make Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Originally intended for release in January of 1967, Smile was to be the next progression in pop music. A continuation of the modular songwriting that began with the “Good Vibrations” single. It had a loose thematic concept as an American travelogue from starting as Plymouth Rock and ending in Hawaii (with references to Imperialism, expansion, Industrial revolution, Manifest Destiny and the Great Chicago Fire). It also touches on The Elements (air, fire, Earth and water) as well. However, due to Brian Wilson's excessive substance abuse, paranoia and his creative partner, Van Dyke Parks walking away from the project, Smile was never completed. In fact, it's basically become a common view that Brian Wilson may have been simply overwhelmed with all of the fragments that were recorded for the segments of the pieces. And in his ambitions he basically envisioned the future of digital editing.

An over-simplified version of Smile was released in late Summer of 1967 as Smiley Smile. Songs from what would have been on the finished album did see release in various forms over the years, including on Smiley Smile. “Cabbinessence” and “Our Prayer” were released on the 20/20 album in 1969. "Cool Cool Water" later appeared on Sunflower in 1970. The “Mama Says” segment from “Vege-Tables” was released on Wild Honey in 1967 and “Surf's Up” served as the title track to their critically-acclaimed 1971 album.

The failure of Smile to materialize in its' intended form caused Brian Wilson to retreat from the public eye for many years and serving to ultimately further deepen his mental health problems. Wilson re-recorded the Smile album and tour in support of it in 2004 with his excellent solo band. The 50^th anniversary of The Beach Boys in 2011/2012 was the perfect occasion to finally release the original Smile recordings as The Smile Sessions on Halloween 2011.

The Smile Sessions box set included one double vinyl album (which comes with the original booklet as it was originally produced in 1966), two vinyl seven-inch singles, five CD's, and a sixty-page book. The CDs are one disc of the album as it has now been envisioned/revisioned and four CDs of session highlights. It's easily one of the most reverend box sets to be released specifically with it's fans in mind.

In 1966 album sleeves and booklets were produced way in advance as Smile was on the most highly anticipated releases in Capitol Records history. The artwork has been properly restored as well the mid-60's labels. Not one UPC barcode to be found on the item anywhere. The singles are beautifully reproduced as well, using the original “Heroes & Villains” picture sleeve as well as more of Smile artist Frank Holmes artwork for “Vege-tables”. You can also purchase the vinyl album as a standalone-purchase.

I'd recommend this release for anyone to hear as it's such an important slice of 1960's recording history that almost neverwas.

Here's The Video Review:

Special Thanks to Patricia Marson.

The Sunrays: Our Leader (Sundazed Music/2014)

The Sunrays were a mid 60's Sunshine Pop/Surf Pop band from southern California. They were managed by Murray Wilson, father of Brian, Dennis & Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys. Murray took up the role of as band manager after being fired by The Beach Boys for being deemed intolerable to work with. Murray also served as The Sunrays producer and got them signed to Capitol Records subsidiary, Tower Records in 1964. The band had hit singles with “I Live For The Sun”, “Andrea” and “Still” before disbanding 1967.

This single, which was released on Record Store Day of 2014, is comprised of “Our Leader”, which was a recording dedicated to Murray Wilson by the band and given to him on Christmas of 1965. It's a heart-felt token of appreciation to an individual whose reputation has been tarnished over the years.

“Won't You Tell Me” is a song that was composed by Murray Wilson and band leader Rick Henn to record, four years after the band's break-up. Recorded by the Wrecking Crew and some creative input and backing vocals from Dennis Wilson, it's something of a mini Sunshine/Baroque Pop classic.

The song was overdubbed with vocals from both Brian and Carl Wilson also in 1971. This version appears on the Beach Boys bootlegs Get The Boot and All This Is That.

Sundazed works its' usual magic and the vinyl is of the usual high-standards. It's nice yellow vinyl pressing and comes with four-pages of insightful and historical annotation from Rick Henn.

Very Highly Recommended for fans of The Beach Boys, Baroque Pop and Sunshine Pop of the 1960's.

Here's the video review:

The Big Sounds Of The Drags! (Capitol Records/1963)

In the early 1960's drag racing/hot rodding was wildly popular in Southern California. Also wildly culturally popular was Surf Rock. Eventually out of Surf Music, grew Hot Rod music (i.e. Dick Dale & His Deltones, The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, etc.). That is, surf rock with lyrics pertaining to Hot Rods and Hot Rod culture. The Big Sounds Of The Drags! is not Hot Rod music per se. It is a spoken word album with a narrator who introduces the album followed by the sounds of drag racers, drag-racing and, for authenticity purposes, a race announcer off in the distance.

Released in October of 1963, The Big Sound Of The Drags! was produced by Jim Economidies (responsible for plenty of early/mid 60's surf rock records). It was the first in a series of five in Captiol's "Big Sound Series" (the other four being The Big Sounds Of The Sports Cars, The Big Sounds Of The Drag Boats, The Big Sounds Of The Go Karts! and The Big Sounds Of The Drags Volume Two). The Drags was the most successful selling over 100,000 copies (in just six months).

The sounds of revving car engines is oddly therapeutic/soothing. And I can imagine one falling asleep soundly to the long-droning sounds. The album is about twenty-eight minutes long. It's really a strange little 1960's pop culture artifact. If you're a fan of hod rod/racing or spoken word albums you'll most-likely love this slab of vinyl. Otherwise I'm not sure who to recommend this to. I personally enjoyed it in all its proto-ambient charming drone-glory..

Here's the video review:

Jerry Cole & His Spacemen: Surf Age (Capitol/1963 & Sundazed Music/2008)

Jerry Cole was one of the most sought-after session guitarists of the 1960's Los Angeles scene. He was a member of The Wrecking Crew and regularly appeared albums by The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Little Richard. He also had a little band of his own known as The Spacemen. Jerry Cole & The Spacemen released three albums which were all released on Capitol Records. The second of these, Surf Age, has been reissued by the fantastic Sundazed Music (along with Hot Rod Dance Party) in a limited pressing of 1,000 copies on colored vinyl.

Surf Age is an instrumental surf rock album with your standard guitar, bass, drums arrangement. Songs are occasionally ornamented with organs, sometimes saxophones and lots of percussion. The album was produced by Jim Economides (who also wrote about half of the material) and it's a nicely recorded/produced album. The material is sometimes danceable in an old-school way. It's definitely a wonderful relic of its' time. I personally like the bass saxophones but I could do with out the sax solos - they're the one thing on the entire recording that "date" it, oddly enough. Whereas the standard guitar-bass-drums surf rock set-up is fairly timeless. The riffs are great but the material as a whole is somewhat on the forgettable-side.

However, these releases are a guilty-pleasure of mine as I'm way into this period of music (especially surf rock from the West Coast) so I'd recommend this to other like-minded fans as well. 

Here's the video review:

The Raspberries: Raspberries' Best (Capitol/1976)

Cleveland, Ohio's The Raspberries were, along with Big Star, Badfinger, and Blue Ash the main purveyors of what became known as Power Pop. The Raspberries were easily the most successful band of this genre (with Bandfinger coming a near second) and later Cheap Trick. Critics were split in their decision on them. Some deemed them square/unhip, others loved their blend of the music of Who and harmonies of the Beatles/Beach Boys. The band had four big hit singles in “Go All The Way”, “I Wanna Be With You”, “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” and “Let's Pretend” before breaking up in 1975.

Raspberries' Best, released in 1976, is a near-perfect vinyl-era compilation of the bands singles. 
“I Can Remember” and “Starting Over” as album tracks and as fine as song “Starting Over” is, it could've been easily replaced here by “Crusin' Music” and “I'm A Rocker” ; both two fine singles that were omitted here for reasons unknown.

If you've not heard the band but have read their name countless times on various Power Pop articles, this is a fine collection that probably won't cost you more than a few dollars.

Here's the video review:

The Beach Boys: The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (Capitol/1964)

The Beach Boys' Christmas Album was released just in time for the Christmas holiday season, on November 9th 1964. The album was undoubtedly conceived as a result of Capitol's persistent pressure for product from the band for the Holiday season. But it was perhaps inspired by Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift To You, which Brian Wilson has stated is his all-time favorite recording. So how do the boys of Summer from Hawthorne California fare on a recording of Christmas music? Exceptionally well.

The record was split into two conceptual sides; side one is the pop side for the teens and features the band on all instruments while side two is the traditional side for the adults. Side two was arranged and orchestrated by Dick Reynolds, whose work with The Four Freshman Brian Wilson was a fan of. The band was backed on the Dick Reynolds tracks by a forty-one piece orchestra.

"Little Saint Nick" returns here as it had already been a hit from the prior holiday season of 1963 (reaching #3 on Billboard's Holiday Charts). And it has gone on to become something of a holiday classic. "The Man With All The Toys" was the single from the album and  while not becoming the classic that "Little Saint Nick" has, it was successful, reaching #6 on Billboard's Holiday Charts.
"Merry Christmas Baby" was also eventually released as a single in 1966 in the German market.
"Christmas Day" (which was Al Jardine's first lead vocal performance with the band) and "Santa's Beard" round out the originals.

"White Christmas", "Blue Christmas" and "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" are Wintery-cold in the vocal performances and the arrangements mirror that. "Frosty The Snowman" and "Santa Claus Are Coming To Town" are playful and lighthearted and these are the two non-singles that still get airplay around the holidays. "Auld Lang Syne" closes things out and features a flubbed spoken-word thank you from Dennis Wilson over the band's accapella version of the song.

The album reached #6 on Billboard's Top 100 charts and has subsequently gone Gold.  It has been released numerous times over the years in many different variations. The best of these is Ultimate Christmas, which was released in 1998 and also features the bands later holiday recordings from the the mid 70's. It's one of my favorite holiday recordings by default as it features the ultimate Summer band in Winter holiday mode.

Here's the video review:

A Very Special Thanks to: Cassandra Fowler.

Jerry Cole And His Spacemen: Hot Rod Dance Party (Capitol 1964 & Sundazed Music 2010)

Jerry Cole was an in-demand session musician from the 1960's Los Angeles, California scene. He was a member of what was subsequently dubbed The Wrecking Crew, who played on Phil Spector's hit records and The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and SMiLE albums. He was the band-leader on the 60's variety shows Shindig! & Hullabaloo. He's been inducted into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame & the Capitol Records Legendary Performer Hall Of Fame. He also worked with Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Isaac Hayes, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Frank Sinatra to name just a few. He also had a band of his own: The Spacemen, who performed regularly on the Sunset Strip and released a trio of albums on Capitol Records in 1963 & 1964.

The final release of these albums, Hot Rod Dance Party is produced by Jim Economides (Dick Dale & His Del-Tones) and was originally released in 1964 by Capitol Records. At the time, Capitol was producing surf-rock albums by the dozens, either by actual surf-rock bands, or studio-created "bands" such as The Super Stocks, The Kickstands & The Ghouls.

"MUSIC WITH A DRIVIN' BEAT THAT PUT ANY PARTY ON WHEELS"

Hot Rod Dance Party is a horn-driven, classic reverb-drenched guitar instrumental album and is very danceable (in an swinging, twisting, old-school, guitar-based way). It's Hot-Rod Music/Surf-Pop (although "Hot Rod Music" is really just surf rock with lyrics about cars and racing as opposed to waves and surfing). There aren't any particular standout tracks, truth-be-told. The material is sometimes bachelor-pad infused with hints of tiki exotica and lounge with great guitar lines courtesy Mr. Cole. At times the material falls into a sort of generic surf-pop realm, that really isn't made anymore. This being said, the recording itself is very nice (and so unmistakably Americana of the mid 60's as well). And if you're a fan of surf rock guitar playing, you'll probably love this record. One can only imagine how the surf pop vocals of The Beach Boys or Jan & Dean on top of these instrumental tracks would have potentially elevated it commercially, but I digress.

It was reissued In a limited pressing of only 1,000 copies in 2010 by the fantastic reissue label Sundazed Music based out of the Catskills in New York. Sundazed has long-since taken the mantle from Rhino Records as being the greatest vinyl reissue/authentically vintage label currently in existence. The vinyl is beautiful clear-black-marble and is a nice piece for anyone who is a fan of this sort of thing (i.e. instrumental surf pop on vinyl, auxiliary Beach Boys session musicians, etc).

Here's the video review:

Special thanks: Sundazed Music.