Atomic Rooster - In Hearing Of (1971)

I always felt that, particularly at their peak, Atomic Rooster were in something of a quandary: on the one hand they had ELP-style prog rock pretensions and on the other, more soulful, song-based Uriah Heap stylings. This 1971 release does nothing to clear-up things either featuring both Hammond-driven instrumentals and more commercial vocal-based numbers.

However, the above doesn’t mean the album is not without its merits, far from it there are many, but just that the juxtaposition of the two conflicting styles doesn’t make for the most consistent of listening experiences when listened to from start to finish.

The album opens with an uptempo eighth note piano riff overlaid with keyboard that builds, with the introduction of the drums, up to a quite a riff including guitar and vocals. Track two is based around a simplistic guitar riff and vocals and does little to stick in the memory – similarly track 3, Decision/Indecision, whilst a pleasantly melodic piano/vocal based number does little to inspire the listener.

Where things really begin to pick up is with A Spoonful Of Bromide which is a belter of an instrumental allowing drummer Paul Hammond to loosen up and Vincent Crane to provide some great Hammond and keyboard soloing built around a central motif to which it repeatedly returns.

The following Black Snake is uneventful but then Head In The Sky returns to the instrumental mode with a guitar-driven piece containing once more some good drumming and Hammond twiddling, but in this instance there’s a vocal track crow-barred into it to but, thankfully, this subsides into a lengthy soloing section.

The Rock is also a strong instrumental piece featuring both Crane and John Du Cann laying down a selection of solos. The album closes with The Price, again a vocal-based number of little merit.

I really wanted to like this album when I first purchased it many years ago, and indeed there are flashes of genius throughout but sadly whilst the band were aware of their undoubted abilities, they didn’t seem aware of their limitations with their songwriting, as opposed to instrumental writing, ability passable at best and for me, John Du Cann was perpetually attempting to punch above his weight.

All-in-all, a disappointing album from a talented group but worth a listen, if just for A Spoonful Of Bromide!

• Vincent Crane – Keyboards
• John Du Cann – Guitar
• Peter French – Vocals
• Paul Hammond – Drums

Birds Of Fire - Mahavishnu Orchestra (1973)

I first heard Birds Of Fire when I was around 16 and learning to play the drums and a guitarist friend of mine thought I may find the Orchestra’s Billy Cobham worth a listen: he wasn’t wrong! This album completely changed my outlook on music and can’t be recommended highly enough.

Jazz-fusion guitarist John McLaughlin had a strong pedigree through working with Miles Davis and Tony Williams’ Lifetime, among others, was at his most ‘aggressive’ on this and the previous Inner Mounting Flame albums and along with his band-mates, including Jan Hammer on keyboards, created an album of virtuoso musicianship and contrasting instrumental moods from the opening track’s powerful repetitious build, through the mellow Fender Rhodes intro to Miles Beyond (a tribute to McLaughlin’s former mentor) to out and out power in the form of One Word.

Whilst an album of instrumentals can be a little testing on the ears, especially to non-musicians, Birds Of Fire contains such contrasting pieces that the listener could not allow the attention to slip: from melodic piano/acoustic guitar/violin pieces to all-out screeching guitar riffs, along with McLaughlin’s incredible dexterity on electric guitar, ensure that all tastes are catered for.

Unfortunately, this ‘classic’ lineup were to dissolve following recording sessions for the the follow-up but this album has stood the tests of time and I guarantee that no-one since has sounded quite like the Mahavishnu Orchestra at their peak, as here.

• John McLaughlin – Guitar
• Jan Hammer – Keyboards
• Billy Cobham – Drums
• Rick Laird – Bass
• Jerry Goodman – Violin

Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)

Arguably the originators of the ‘Heavy Metal’ genre, Black Sabbath had burnt out on the excesses of the rock and roll lifestyle and riff-meister general Tony Iommi was suffering from severe writer’s block. Fortunately, following a move from LA to a ‘haunted’ castle in Gloucestershire ideas began to flow for their fifth studio album and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was born.

For me, if it only contained the title track I’d consider it a worthy addition to any record collection! Iommi is on top form producing several notable riffs all in one track with Ozzy too at his shrillest best. Just how many bands that one track alone influenced we will never know but there are a hell of a lot of bands out there who owe an awful lot to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

Killing Yourself To Live and Spiral Architect are also standout tracks along with the piano-led Who Are You? which I seem to recall was reprised for a ghastly Ozzy and daughter single a few years ago! However, here it is in its purest and best form.

The album has achieved triple platinum status in the UK and platinum in the US and charted at number 4 in the UK on its original release which is no mean feat for an album that heavy and way beyond anything around at that time.

For Sabbath I believe this was their peak and if you feel you really should own at least one Sabbath album (and you should), then Sabbath Bloody Sabbath really should be it!

• Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
• Tony Iommi – Guitar
• Geezer Butler – Bass
• Bill Ward – Drums

Colosseum II - War Dance (1977)

Another hidden gem in rock’s back catalogue is this 1977 release from Colosseum II featuring an all-star lineup of ex-Colosseum drummer Jon Hiseman, ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore and ex-just about everyone keyboardist Don Airey. Whilst the album, their third, was to prove their swansong (bar a one album reformation at the request of Andrew Lloyd Webber) due to lack of commercial success, the quality of the music contained therein isn’t diminished.

The highly-polished jazz rock/fusion style created by Colosseum II was based around the musical abilities of Moore, Airey and Hiseman and their intricate interplay coupled with a melodic ear. The title track kicks off the album in style leading to the funky Major Keys which, unsurprisingly centres around a Don Airey keyboard melody: a good start.

Things really shift up a gear on Put It That Way featuring good harmony interplay between Airey and Moore with Jon Hiseman pulling out all the stops. Moore’s guitar solo on the track also stands out, as does Airey’s Hammond solo.

The only low-point for me is Castles, the sole vocal track on the album, a painfully slow track sung by Gary Moore in a warbling semi-falsetto! Fortunately, the uptempo shuffle of Fighting Talk soon erases the memory of such a faux pas with its grinding central riff and overall crashing chords and squealing guitar/keyboard melody.

The album keeps the pace then and rips through The Inquisition and Star Maiden to finish on the impressive Last Exit (somewhat a prophetic title) which begins gently enough before erupting part way through into a medium tempo piece with a screeching wah-wah solo from Gary Moore before moving uptempo for the finale.

The album really hits the spot in terms of jazz rock/fusion and if you’ve only heard Gary Moore during his later hard rock or blues phases, and Don Airey as backing for the likes of Rainbow, this album will be a real eye-opener.

• Don Airey – Keyboards
• Jon Hiseman – Drums
• Gary Moore – Guitar/Vocals
• John Mole – Bass

Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)

As seminal albums go, Deep Purple’s 1972 Machine Head has to be near the top of the heap. I stumbled across this gem purely by accident at about 14 after seeing Ian Paice, then drummer with the Gary Moore band, on BBC2’s Rockschool programme and – as a budding drummer myself – wanted to hear more of his playing. A friend mentioned that he thought Paice used to be in Deep Purple, of whom I’d not heard, but trundled I off to the nearest record shop and randomly picked Machine Head . . . purely a stroke of luck that went a large way to shaping my musical tastes for many years to come.

Featuring the Mark II Gillan-Glover lineup of Purple, the album really captures Purple at the peak of their powers. I’m sure most people are aware of the drama around its recording where the venue in Montreaux to be used burnt down during a Frank Zappa gig leading to Purple being offered the use of a closed for off-season hotel to lay down the tracks . . . providing inspiration for one of the band’s most famous compositions, Smoke On The Water, which is featured here.

The impromptu venue change certainly helped Purple focus their minds as Machine Head is a belter from start to finish, a real career defining moment. From the driving Highway Star to the blues stylings of Lazy, all members of the band were firing on all cylinders with Paice, in particular, at the top of his game with an endless supply of rapid fire rolls.

Whilst Smoke On The Water is possibly the most famous track from Machine Head, there’s no fillers here, and Pictures From Home also conjures up the mindset of the band recording in a freezing hotel in the Alps “with emptiness, eagles and snow, Unfriendliness chilling my body. And whispering pictures of home”.

For the 25th anniversary of the album a Special Edition has also been released featuring alternate versions of a handful of the tracks and the excellent When A Blind Man Cries which was recorded at the sessions but didn’t make the final cut of the original album and is well worth purchasing.

If you only buy one Deep Purple album, I would recommend that Machine Head is the one: hear the band at their best before Gillan – Blackmore bickering led to the demise of their greatest lineup after the band’s follow-up release.

• Ian Gillan – Vocals
• Ian Paice – Drums
• Richie Blackmore – Guitar
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Roger Glover – Bass

ELO -Electric Light Orchestra (1971)

Undoubtedly one of the 1970s biggest acts, ELO’s debut album was the only one to feature the band’s two founding fathers: Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood. Both had previously been in The Move (who still hadn’t officially disbanded at this point and from whom ELO’s drummer, Bev Bevan, was taken) but were looking to expand their musical repertoire, moving away from the 60’s pop stylings of The Move and experimenting with the blending of classical instrumentation with rock and a commercial edge.

The album opens with 10538 Overture, a live staple throughout the band’s career and a highpoint of this album. A picked guitar riff – later ‘used’ by Paul Weller on The Changing Man – is blended with later to become trademark high pitched vocals and a strings backing, making for a somewhat unique sound at that time. ‘Overture’ is certainly a strong opener and raises the expectation levels of the listener for the remainder of the album.

Look At Me Now is a heavily Eleanor Rigby-influenced number sung by Roy Wood and is evidence of the band’s intentions to follow in the steps of The Beatles with strongly orchestrated, but accessible, pieces. It works quote well here – although the extent that ELO lived-up to the creativity and innovation of The Beatles is a moot point!

Next we get a glimpse of more ‘Wild West Hero’ era ELO with Nellie Takes Her Bow, the embryonic sound that was to later characterise the band is very much in evidence here in its rawest form.

Unfortunately, things take a rather odd twist following Nellie Takes Her Bow with a largely Roy Wood effort, The Battle Of Marston Moor, which explores Wood’s interest in Baroque traditional English folk. Rumour has it that drummer Bev Bevan was so appalled by the track he refused to play on it! I’m with Bev on that one.

First Movement goes some way to rescuing things with a classical/Spanish guitar intro to an upbeat instrumental piece that works nicely throughout, including the rather rasping cello accompaniment that is a trademark of the album, the majority of which being played by Wood.

The Lynne influence is then felt with the more mainstream Mr Radio that would quite as easily have not sounded out of place on Out Of The Blue and employs a few trademark ELO tricks such as running the string intro backwards and a rather ‘honky tonk’ style piano with Lynne’s vocals effects-laden throughout.

Manhatten Rumble is an instrumental piece following a rather ominous sounding and discordant riff that builds without ever really getting anywhere. This dissonance runs into the intro to Queen Of The Hours which then abates to a melancholic, and heavily strings orchestrated, vocal track that leans towards a sound you’d expect to hear on early George Harrison albums: someone with whom Lynne would later work.

The album closes with Wood’s Whisper in The Night which is a mellow acoustic guitar and strings ballad that you sort of hope the rest of the band will come in on at any minute, but to no avail.

This is a very interesting album, if not one of the best you’ll hear, as it gives glimpses of what would become the classic ELO sound and has a few standout moments. The experimental edge to the work is also interesting, although it sometimes misfires, but would, I’m sure, have been ironed out and honed by the second album if the battle of the egos between Wood and Lynne hadn’t got to unsustainable proportions following their debut leading to Wood’s departure, triggering a shift to a more mainstream approach and mega stardom for Lynne.

I would recommend listening to 1977’s Out Of The Blue for those who are not familiar with ELO but for those that are, listening to this album will be of interest and if I had to rate it, I’d give it a 7/10 “must try harder” . . . and they did!

• Roy Wood – Guitars, Bass, Cello, Vocals
• Jeff Lynne – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, vocals
• Bev Bevan – Drums
• Bill Hunt – French horn
• Steve Woolam – Violin

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus (1971)

Whilst prog-rock may today be a dirty word and the kiss of death to any hopes of commercial success, back in the early 1970s it was one of the most popular musical forms and no-one exemplified all that is both good and bad about the genre than Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Tarkus was the second studio album from ELP who, at the time where phenomenally popular with the album going to number 1 in the UK charts and catapulting the group into the super league.

For my money, Tarkus was a particularly strong album from the group with all three band members giving 100% throughout – something that can’t be said of some of their later efforts. As a drummer, after hearing this album Carl Palmer became my ‘hero’ – and I was fortunate enough to be taught by his brother who was a very gifted player too – and the breadth of his rhythms, fills and syncopations on Tarkus still thrill me to this day.

The album opens with a rather eerie sound effect that builds into the opening Eruption which has an odd time structure and heads off at a ferocious pace with Emerson wringing all he can from the Hammond. From then-on in the tracks blend seamlessly together on what was side 1 of the vinyl release with Gregg Lake providing the odd vocal passage and plenty of complex musical interludes, mostly played very uptempo.

Whilst side 1 provides a ‘concept’ (another dirty word), side 2 contains a varied collection of standalone tracks, the standout for me being the rapid Bitches Sin in 3/4 time with Carl Palmer providing a very jazzy pattern to carry the piece along at break-neck speed.

There are even a couple of ‘comic’ tracks with Jeremy Bender and Are You Ready Eddie? – the latter being a tribute to their sound engineer and is the musical low-point of the album, although I’m sure it seemed like a fun idea at the time!

Whilst ELP would go on to make some really poor albums later in their career and their name become synonymous with overblown self-indulgence, Tarkus was ELP at their greatest and I’d urge anyone to put their preconceptions and anti-prog prejudices to one side temporarily and give this album a listen and I’m sure the undoubted abilities of the musicians involved, if not the music itself, will provide for a rewarding experience!

• Keith Emerson – Keyboards
• Greg Lake – Bass/Vocal
• Carl Palmer – Drums

Focus - Moving Waves (1972)

Whilst I can appreciate that the prospect of listening to a yodelling Dutch prog rock group may not be particularly appealing, you’d be missing a trick if you were to dismiss Focus based purely on amusing snippets of Moving Waves’ opening track, Hocus Pocus, as a novelty act. Moving Waves, the band’s second studio album, achieved great success on its release on both sides of the Atlantic and a listen to the entire album with an open mind will reveal why.

Opening track Hocus Pocus is possibly the most famous piece from Focus (albeit most probably the majority of people would recognise Sylvia and House of the King, amongst others) and sets off at a frantic pace with very the underrated Jan Akkerman driving the central riff hard. The bone of contention with Hocus Pocus will always be the yodelling interludes from keyboardist Thijs van Leer (although the accordion in the last break is equally ‘odd’) which always raise an eyebrow when heard for the first time. However, if you see any footage of the band playing Hocus Pocus, there’s usually a wry smile on their faces and they too see it as a ‘bit of fun’ but don’t let that distract from the high calibre of instrumentation that carries the track.

Le Clochard follows which is a mellow classical piece featuring some nice acoustic work from Akkerman which leads into the flute-driven Janis and then into Moving Waves which begins with an unaccompanied piano section and some subtle orchestration from the rest of the band. Whilst classically-inspired pieces are now something of a cliche, put yourself back in the early 1970s and this was breaking new ground!

Next we move into Focus II which showcases Akkerman well and moves the sound of the band to a more almost lounge-jazz style and takes the listener through several changes of tempo.

What was side 2 of the vinyl release features Eruption – a 16 movement piece based on the opera Euridice and is a real prog classic featuring all the essential elements: classically inspired – check, drum solo – check, mellotron – check, lashings of guitar soloing – check, frequent tempo changes – check, Hammond/guitar runs – check. Akkerman even sneaks in a brief reprise of the Hocus Pocus riff for good measure!

Joking apart, this is a really strong album and it is unfortunate that a bit of yodelling has stigmatised what were an undoubtedly talented group of musicians – I can never understand why Akkerman in particular never got the credit he deserved – and would suggest that anyone interested in the development of rock adds this album to their collection and I’m sure if you do, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

• Thijs van Leer – Keyboards/Vocals
• Jan Akkerman – Guitar
• Cyril Havermans – Bass
• Pierre van der Linden – Drums

Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti (1979)

For those who aren’t familiar with the work of Frank Zappa, it’s difficult to accurately review one of his many, many albums without taking a track-by-track approach due to the widely varying musical styles he cleverly utilises as backdrops for his wit, opprobrium and social commentary (usually eloquently delivered in a suave but biting style). Oh, yes and he was no mean guitarist too and visionary composer/arranger!

With Sheik Yerbouti, Zappa was at the peak of his career and in his most accessible period musically: I’d always recommend the album to people interested in Zappa who hadn’t heard any of his work previously.

The album features 18 tracks, some of which are instrumentals, displaying a narrower range of musical stylings than on most of Zappa’s other albums – as close to a ‘mainstream’ Zappa album as you’re likely to find, filled with plenty of guitar solos, lengthy instrumental passages, powerful riff-driven numbers and acerbic lyrics poking fun at the US glitterati scene in all their pomp and vacuity (along with a few other notable targets).

Zappa’s backing band was always largely a revolving door but here he has the solid backing of Adrain Belew on vocals and guitar and Terry Bozzio on drums being the most notable. Not renowned for his singles output – in part due to the subject matter of many of his tracks – Sheik Yerbouti did spawn Bobby Brown Goes Down, a touching tale of transgendered sado masochism which proved a hit in mainland Europe and Scandinavia of all places!

• Frank Zappa – Guitar/Vocals
• Adrian Belew – Guitar/Vocals
• Terry Bozzio – Drums/Vocals
• Patrick O’Hearn – Bass/Vocals
• Ed Mann – Percussion
• Tommy Mars – Keyboards/Vocals
• Peter Wolf – Keyboards

Gary Moore - Back On The Streets (1979)

Back On The Streets was Gary Moore’s first bona fide solo album released in 1979 and featuring two of Moores’ previous (and to be future) band-mates in Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott and Brian Downey – along with various other musicians including the omnipresent Don Airey on keyboards, top session drummer Simon Phillips (Judas Priest, Jeff Beck etc) and ex-Colosseum II bassist Jon Mole.

Whilst the musical pedigree of the album is impeccable both in terms of composition and execution, it’s not the most flowing/consistent of albums veering from Colosseum II style jazz rock/fusion numbers to what are, basically, Thin Lizzy numbers. However, this is not a criticism as both styles have great merit but it’s just interesting to marry the two on one album.

The album kicks-off with the title track – a ballsy, straight-forward Thin Lizzy style rocker – even featuring wah-wah soloing, twin-harmony guitars and Phil Lynnot on backing vocals – followed by a down-tempo and bluesy interpretation of Thin Lizzy’s Don’t Believe A Word which works well – with Moore providing some Peter Greenesque solo flourishes – until the final few bars when the tempo increases to an upbeat shuffle.

Fanatical Fascists follows which is a very simplistic riff-driven number (and B-side to Parisienne Walkways: quite a contrast). Then, it’s almost like you’ve switched albums as Flight Of The Snow Goose begins with dissonant strings backing some McLaughlin style acoustic work from Moore before Simon Phillips fades-in and suddenly there’s Airey/Moore rekindling their Colosseum II jazz fusion partnership with Airey in particular going into Jan Hammer/Mahavishnu Orchestra mode before Moore let’s rip with a lengthy inspirational solo.

Next we’re in a track that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Billy Cobham’s Spectrum, or indeed Colosseum II’s Electric Savage, a real uptempo jazz fusion belter with Simon Phillips turning in a polished performance and Moore really wringing out some screeching guitar soloing ably accompanied by Airey.

Next we are presented with the rather bland Song For Donna before Simon Phillips kicks in with a nicely syncopated beat ushering in What Would You Rather Bee Or A Wasp – a funky fusion number that builds nicely and again would have fitted in nicely on one of Colosseum II’s albums. Then suddenly, we’re back in Lizzy territory with the joint Lynnot/Moore-penned and sang Parisienne Walkways (a number 8 hit in the UK) that is probably Gary Moore’s most well-known track – and who’s central melody has proved fodder for generations of budding guitarists!

The re-release also features a bonus track – Spanish Guitar – which, inspite of the image conjured up by the title, is in fact a mellow rock blues ballad with the odd castanet thrown in here and there for good measure.

If you think of the largely the three facets of Gary Moore – fusion, blues and rock – all are ably demonstrated here and the variety really gives something for everyone. Above all, the sheer versatility and ability of Moore really shines through which I guess is the whole point.

• Gary Moore – Guitar/Vocals
• Phil Lynott – Bass/Vocals
• John Mole – Bass
• Don Airey – Keyboards
• Brian Downey – Drums
• Simon Phillips – Drums