Here are some releases that have slipped into the comments of a number of posts over the years, so a majority of readers may have missed most of these. We’re going to post a number of these this month, many without commentary, just to get them out there. Some were donated by readers, whom I’ve promptly forgotten, so thanks to the usual suspects. Thanks again to Grateful for helping to get this post back up.
THE ZOMBIES
Odessey And Oracle (1968)
Considered by some to be on par with Sgt. Pepper’s, Pet Sounds, and any of a half-dozen other pop greats you’d care to name. Not as good, maybe… but as able, gymnastic and internally inventive. This Fleet Street Brit pop is the genuine article, though The Zombies lacked the ‘identities’ needed in the late 60s to go over the top – no thanks to their own record company (it was Al ‘Forest Gump’ Kooper who factored into their eventual success). The production is a feast for connoisseurs. Many tunes are tough to retain, but a joy to hear nonetheless.
Care Of Cell 44 (3:54)
A Rose For Emily (2:17)
Maybe After He’s Gone (2:32)
Beechwood Park (2:42)
Brief Candles (3:28)
Hung Up On A Dream (3:00)
Changes (3:17)
I Want Her She Wants Me (2:51)
This Will Be Our Year (2:07)
Butchers Tale (Western Front 1914) (2:45)
Friends Of Mine (2:15)
Time Of The Season (3:32)
I’ll Call You Mine (2:37)
Imagine The Swan (3:14)
Conversation Off Floral Street (2:43)
If It Dont Work Out (Overdubbed) (2:27)
Dont Cry For Me (Overdubbed) (2:13)
Smokey Day (2:23)
She Loves The Way They Love Her (3:00)
Time Of The Season (Uk Mono Mix) (3:30)
I’ll Call You Mine (Overdubbed) (2:37)
Imagine The Swan (Stereo Mix 2) (3:11)
KRISTIAN GODDARD
Punch Drunk Nilsson (2011)
Not an actual release. This came to us via For The Love Of Harry. A clever mix of the Nilsson-inspired Punch Drunk Love soundtrack orchestrations, fused with some of Harry Nilsson’s more somber isolation numbers – most in quieter, more intimate demo form instead of well-worn LP versions. Is a pleasurable listen that is just as much young(er) pop great Jon Brion as it is Nilsson (though Brion plays Nilsson throughout). Offbeat, yet easily jig-sawed liked it was all pre-designed. I’m so jaded I know all this material already, but woven together it offers both the structure of Nilsson’s The Point! and the themed-loneliness of Sinatra’s In The Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. The casual fan, familiar with just the hits & some albums, will be treated to Nilsson’s less celebrated, but most essential appeal – his melodic simplicity in orchestral form, alongside the beauty of original tunes like “The Moonbeam Song, “One” and “Life Line.”
Punchy Tack Piano (1:05)
Miss Butter’s Lament (2:17)
Barry States His Case (1:39)
Little Cowboy (0:45)
Punch-Drunk (0:55)
He Needs Me (3:30)
One (3:04)
Overture (1:34)
He Really Needs Me (2:12)
Petit Chateau (1:36)
The Moonbeam Song (1:38)
Blossoms & Blood (1:24)
I’ll Never Leave You (4:23)
Punchy Tack Piano (Reprise) (1:10)
Life Line (2:30)
Barry’s Harmonium (0:17)
Somewhere (1:48)
One Is The Loneliest Number (2:27)
Punch-Drunk Melody (1:42)
Think About Your Troubles (2:41)
Petit Point (1:31)
Remember (3:44)
SQUEEZE
Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti (1985)
The original band’s 1985 reunion album.
Big Beng (4:03)
By Your Side (4:24)
King George Street (3:48)
I Learnt How To Pray (4:24)
Last Time Forever (5:40)
No Place Like Home (4:27)
Heartbreaking World (5:07)
Hits Of The Year (3:00)
Break My Heart (4:33)
I Won’t Ever Go Drinking Again (4:36)
Love’s A Four Letter Word (3:40) – Bonus Track
The Fortnight Saga (2:42) – Bonus Track
RICHARD THOMPSON
Dream Attic – The Demos (2010)
Disc two of RT’s 2010 release, featuring acoustic “demo” versions of the music on disc one. Demos isn’t the term to use when Thompson plays acoustic, however. This could have been released as a stand-alone disc and even seasoned listeners would have believed it was a labored studio album.
The Money Shuffle (4:18)
Among The Gorse, Among The Grey (3:45)
Haul Me Up (3:25)
Burning Man (4:23)
Here Comes Geordie (3:13)
Demons In Her Dancing Shoes (4:30)
Crimescene (6:03)
Big Sun Falling In The River (5:00)
Stumble On (5:54)
Sidney Wells (3:50)
A Brother Slips Away (4:42)
Bad Again (4:03)
If Love Whispers Your Name (4:06)
PETER CASE
The Man With The Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar (1989)
Charlie James (3:07)
Put Down The Gun (3:41)
Entella Hotel (4:59)
Travellin’ Light (4:11)
Poor Old Tom (3:58)
Old Part Of Town (4:10)
Rise And Shine (4:21)
Two Angels (4:33)
This Town’s A Riot (4:19)
Hidden Love (3:06)
NEW YORK DOLLS
From Paris With Love (L.U.V.) (2001)
Live, semi-legit release (recorded in 1974), featuring Johansen, Thunders, Sylvain, Kane & Nolan. The quality is a bit lacking, but not bad.
Introduction (0:59)
Personality Crisis (3:49)
Bad Girl (3:10)
Looking For A Kiss (3:47)
Give Her A Great Big Kiss (5:12)
Stranded In The Jungle (4:52)
Pills (3:30)
Vietnamese Baby (4:38)
Trash (3:55)
Chatterbox (3:38)
Puss N’ Boots (5:46)
Hoochie Coochie Man (5:22)
Jet Boy (6:34)
SWEET THURSDAY
Sweet Thursday (1969)
That weird, 60′s sub-super group with Jon Mark, Nicky Hopkins, Alun Davies, Harvey Burns & Brian Odgers. The tunes are mostly dominated by Mark, however, and if you know Mark… you know he’s one morose motherfucker. I liked him a lot back in the day… before introducing colors besides black to my teenage wardrobe. Hopkins is always worthy of study.
Dealer (6:07)
Jenny (3:51)
Laughed at Him (5:17)
Cobwebs (3:26)
Rescue Me (3:45)
Molly (3:11)
Sweet Francesca (4:01)
Side of the Road (4:54)
Gilbert Street (10:22)
32 Comments
NEW YORK DOLLS HERE
PETER CASE HERE
RICHARD THOMPSON HERE
SQUEEZE HERE
SWEET THURSDAY HERE
THE ZOMBIES HERE
PUNCH DRUNK NILSSON HERE
Was unaware of “Sweet Thursday” and seeing the players have to give it a listen – always thought Jon Mark’s talents, how to put it, never got the ink deserved….and have always enjoyed the Mark-Almond recordings – - and, as a lot of people in the States, got turned onto Mark (and Almond for that matter) with their playing on Mayall’s “Turning Point”
Thanks for the post!
G
- Thompson’s ‘demos’ – like Willard mentioned – the man can play
Exactly what happened to me. Saw Mayall’s Turning Point open for CCR at my first concert and later became a big Mark-Almond fan. In later years, when I revisited Mark’s work, I realized how depressing the guy was (and I surely was back then, too). These days it’s hard for me to even listen to a lot of his more introspective work. Still love a lot of Mark-Almond, but Mark’s really morose stuff wears thin on me these days.
Once again you continue to amaze how phenomenal this website is. Many Thanks.
JMc
I like the wormhoes
We’re working our way to re-ups of those (and getting back to new ones), thanks .
Re; Sweet Thursday, I remember when Gilbert Street was a mainstay on freeform FM radio, usually played in the middle of the night. Seems like there was a period when every artist had to have their own “Desolation Row”!
Thanks! ..i’ve heard about that Zombies album forever, but… now – Thanks Again! ~junko
..and the NYDolls are always welcome to my cave.
Like a lot of people, I came to The Zombies album late, so it never had a big impact on me. But, I had the “Time Of The Season ” 45 as a kid and always appreciated them. I enjoyed Blunstone’s solo work a lot, though.
The Zombies O & O is one of the true rock and roll masterpieces that exceeds the hype.
I first discovered it my freshman year of college, 1968 and it’s never been far from whatever format I used to listen to my music ever since. I admit I can get bored listening to stuff that I once loved – how many times can you hear a song before it drives you mad. Not the case with this one – It’s one of those albums that actually gets better each time I listen to it.
One of a kind – perfection. Wonderful share sir.
Jeff McKee
Richmond, VA
Folks that were hip when it came out usually swear by it. Thanks for chiming in.
Odessey & Oracle fans should keep an eye out for a disc called R.I.P. (2002).
http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=421964
Basically, it compiles mostly material that would have constituted the follow-up to O & O, and is largely rather good.
Actually, scratch that.
I just noticed that most of those tracks are on this edition of Odessey.
Do you, or anyone, have the bonus tracks from Richard Thompson’s Sweet Warrior: “Dust and Wine,” and “Any Old Body?”
Thanks for all the great stuff!
Didn’t know about those.
Willard, as always, very tasty shares. Thanks again.
Willard — God bless you and everything you do.
Thank you, Willard. Never had the Zombies O&O with extra tracks. so never knew they recorded “If It Don’t Work Out.” It was a regional midwestern hit for a showband called The Casinos, whom my teen band shared the bill with a few times, and was simply a great song. Argent and Co. always had great taste.
Woops. Strike above. Not the same song at all; my fingers got ahead of my ears.
Regardless… we need to hear how badly named your rockin’ teenage combo was.
“If it Don’t Work Out,” was a song that Rod Argent wrote for Dusty Springfield, who at one point long ago had asked Rod to pen a tune for her.
He responded with the aforementioned song which Dusty included on her 1966 “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” LP
Jeff McKee
Richmond, Va
What a nice broad handful of stuff! Was tempted to say it was a micro-crash course in the range of this blog… but nah, cause there’s no Miles, no Zappa, no B*b-who-shall-not-be-named, and no epics by stoned Germans…
Really, really bad. Dawks (courtesy LA DJ/entreprenuer Lloyd Thaxton). A song from a comp LP floats around on the web and You Tube.
I dunno….I’m at a loss as to why Sweet Thursday is considered a “lost” classic…I bought it back in the day but it never caught my imagination…My idea of a lost classic album would be the Jerry Hahn Brotherhood (1970/Columbia Records)…
Probably has more to do with the line-up.
Things like the Sweet Thursday are exactly what makes you the greatest, Willard. Enjoy the holiday weekend and all the Ted Neely you can handle.
Thanks for the Richard Thompson demos. I am always amazed at the range of material presented here!
Just catching up with the Peter Case album, which I’ve been hearing about for years. Thanks as always. Even at a reduced level of activity you’re still one of the best!
Thank you for the Harry comp. I know the songs too, but I don’t get around to listening to them as often as I’d like, and re-contextualizing them like this makes for a new listen. Thanks as always for keeping so much of Harry’s music circulating.
Thanks. I enjoyed it, too.
I’ve been meaning to pick up Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti from your Blog since I first dropped by, and now when I find myself searching for Cool for Cats (to no avail so far), I decided to grab CSTF while I was here!
Thanx W
Al
The “This Will Be Our Year” is different then other album versions with the horns interspersed; never heard it before. Thanks Capt.