Creedence Clearwater Revival - Ramble Tamble (1970)

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (1970)

Released in 1970, Cosmo’s Factory Creedence Clearwater Revivals fifth studio album at first glance appears as somewhat of a greatest hits collection, with many of the bands most well known songs appearing on this album. But as an album it really is more than just a collection of hits and to me represents a journey through the music of America whether it be rock and roll, country, or roots rock. The array of styles on display on this album shows off the uniqueness of CCR and how their music is an eclectic blend of American music styles, something that in itself is significant considering that at the time many American acts were more influenced by the drugs they were taking than paying homage to the music of their homeland.

The songs on Cosmo’s Factory stick primarily to the heavily charged roots rock feel the band were famous for and are based largely around the traditional formula of guitar, bass, and drums. This means the ragged almost grungy-like lead guitar of John Fogerty, as well as the gigantic sound produced by the rhythm section of Doug Clifford on drums and Stu Cook on bass, two very underrated players I must say. Vocally, Fogerty is on fire throughout the album mixing up his delivery between that famous raucous Southern gravel of his on songs such as “Ramble Tamble”, and a slower but still hard edged vocal on songs such as the classic “Long as I Can See the Light”. It was this ability he had to move between faster and slower numbers but yet still retain that Southern feel to his voice that made him so distinct and recognisable as a singer, and ensured he became one of the most popular vocalists of the late-60s period.

Another feature that came to the fore on this album was Fogerty’s strength as a songwriter; something that I guess has been often overlooked. Just some of the subjects he touches on include a parade passing by on “Looking Out My Back Door” a supposed drug song that was actually written for his son, and gun proliferation in the US on “Run Through The Jungle” which in itself has been mistaken as an anti-Vietnam war anthem. In my opinion Fogerty’s calibre as a songwriter should not be ignored and is certainly worth a mention especially when you consider he wrote many of the anthemic songs of the 60s.

One minor criticism I have of this album is of the cover songs, which seem weaker in quality compared to the other very good original tracks. One of these covers includes the eleven minute meandering version of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”. Why the band did not put the single edit version of this song on here instead is beyond me as I feel they do a good job on this song. However eleven minutes is too long and the extended jamming that goes on, on the studio album version appears to me like a band going through the motions remembering also that this is a time when long endless jamming and solos began to seep into rock music sometimes to the point of absolute boredom for the listener. But this is only a minor irritant that is made up for by the outstanding original tracks which Fogerty serves up.

Cosmo’s Factory as an album is probably the archetypal, quintessential CCR album and to me best represents their unique take on traditional American music styles. It has also been viewed as arguably their best album critically and certainly their most successful commercially, topping the charts in six different countries. In conclusion then, if you are after something of CCRs other than a greatest hits compilation then this is the album for you. The well known songs are still there, but there are also a couple of lesser tracks which are just as good quality-wise to some of the hits in turn equalling a great early-seventies album.

A-

- Sam

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (1970)

 

Released in November 1970, All Things Must Pass was George Harrison’s first solo album and represented an album of mammoth proportions in the form of a triple album, as much a rarity then as it is now. The decision to release the album in the form of three discs was in many ways down to the backlog of songs Harrison had developed during the last years of The Beatles, many of which were demoed for possible release on Beatles albums but were eventually turned down in favour of Lennon/McCartney compositions. Harrison’s desire to record and hence release many of these songs meant his first solo album was more than likely going to be a lengthy album and eventually totalled eighteen songs and five studio jams, twenty-three tracks in total.  Harrison’s disappointment at not being given more of a chance to showcase himself as a songwriter in The Beatles ensured this first up solo effort would be a magic collection of songs, as he put his heart and soul into the recording process in an effort to prove people of his worth as a songwriter, and to show that he could survive on his own as a musician.

Musically, All Things Must Pass is quite a varied album and encompasses a wide range of styles from folk, rock, pop, soul and country. In summing up the sound of the album Rolling Stone described it as “Wagnerian, and the music of mountain tops and vast horizons”, an interesting description but probably fitting for the music on display. To achieve this sound Harrison drew on an impressive array of musicians (twenty-five in all) to record this album and included Eric Clapton on guitar, Ringo Starr on drums, Billy Preston on keyboards, and members of Delaney & Bonnie. The influence of The Band is quite prominent in some areas, with many of the songs having a loose rootsy feel to them thanks largely to the appreciation Harrison had gained of their music when he spent time with them during 1968 and 1969. The songs on the album tend to fall between beautiful melodic ballads and folk tunes “I’d Have You Anytime” and wall of sound rock epics “Let It Down”, the latter down to the influence of Phil Spector who produced the album. Spector’s influence looms large across the album with the rock heavy songs tending to be overproduced with massive amounts of reverb and layers upon layers of horns and guitars, something Harrison was indifferent towards considering many of the songs started off as simple acoustic based pieces.

What makes this a great album for me is the underlying melodic beauty of the songs many of which just hum to you as you listen, offering a chance to reflect whilst also warming the soul. I say this without meaning to be pretentious as this exactly the feeling you get when listening to this album, it is an utterly beautiful piece of music pretty much all the way through with little things such as George Harrison’s slide guitar sounding actually rather comforting. I was also taken back by the quality of Harrison’s song writing and his own personal musical style as a solo artist. It was significant to me to see how he would sound on his own as he had shown glimpses of quality song writing in The Beatles but had always remained in the shadows of Lennon and McCartney. Luckily he passed this hurdle with more than flying colours showing that maybe his fellow Beatles should have given him more scope to show off his song writing than they did, particularly in the later years.

The quality of this album is such that the only real criticism I have of the album is the third side of jams which to me appear unnecessary and do not compliment the rest of the album in any way. They really are for fans only, and you would only really listen to them once or twice especially given that one of the jams comes in at over eleven minutes. Apart from this minor criticism every song on the album is a beauty and not skippable by any stretch.

All Things Must Pass is an amazing musical statement by an often underrated musician. It is beautifully melodic in some places, hard edged and fierce in others, representing a musical journey of spiritual proportions through rock, pop, folk, soul and country. It is one of my favourite albums, one of the best 70s albums, the best Beatles solo album, and a must for any Beatles fan. So my advice would be to get it, GET IT NOW.

 

A+

 

- Sam

Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)

Traffic was a band that flew under the radar during the late-60s and into the early-70s, and was not as big commercially speaking as some of their more famous contemporaries. Why? I don’t know as they not only had one of the best soul/R&B singers to ever come out of England in Steve Winwood, but also released some dam fine albums of which John Barleycorn Must Die was one.

Released in 1970, this album originally started as a Steve Winwood solo project as at this point Traffic was still disbanded after Winwood ended the group in order to form Blind Faith with Eric Clapton. But because of a burning desire to play with like-minded musicians, Winwood called on ex-Traffic members Jim Capaldi (drums/percussion) and Chris Wood (sax/flute) to work with him, and henceforth the project became a full on Traffic reunion and album. Stylistically, John Barleycorn was a massive step away from their previous psychedelic pop sound towards a more jazz and R&B influenced sound, and as an album was one of the earlier examples of jazz fusion, also known as jazz rock.

The jazz fusion sound the band was trying to create is best exemplified by the first two tracks on the record. The opening track “Glad” which is also an instrumental is a free jazz jam complete with sax flourishes and a jazzy piano riff, while “Freedom Rider” one of the standout tracks on the album is an intense fusion of R&B and jazz and features Chris Wood’s masterful flute playing. Both of these tracks also contain Winwood’s amazingly superb Hammond organ and piano playing, something that is a definite highlight of the record and is the main driver behind a lot of the songs. In order to get the jazz fusion style they were after, it is worth noting that this is not a guitar album by any means, with the music on the album very much based around piano, organ, flute and sax, with guitar by in large playing a secondary role. The Second side of the album is less jazzy and I guess more rocky with “Stranger To Himself”, the pastoral acoustic folk of “John Barlycorn Must Die” a traditional English folk song which offers a nice break from the heavy jazz and R&B, and album closer the anthemic “Every Mother’s Son” with its swirling psychedelic organ solo and classic rock guitar riff. John Barlycorn Must Die is not a lengthy album with only six songs on it, but the denseness of the tracks with four coming in at over six minutes, as well as the jazzy instrumental nature of the songs compensates for this and ensures the album is probably the right length for the material on display.

On its release the album went to number five in the US and helped establish the band on the highly lucrative touring rock circuit during the early seventies. It also marked the bands high point commercially becoming their first gold selling record. Although it is quite removed from their early work, I think John Barleycorn Must Die is Traffic’s best album and best represents their unique sound, with all of their influences from jazz to folk coming to play. The musicianship and playing on this record is first class, while the overall fusion style of jazz, R&B, rock and even folk is incredibly groovy in places, especially during the free jam breaks where Winwood especially comes into his own.  A great early-seventies album and well worth a listen for those into groovy jazz/R&B styled music, fusion genres, and 70s British rock.

 

A

 

- Sam

Van Morrison - Moondance (1970)

Released in 1970, Moondance was Van Morrison’s third solo album and was also the album that helped establish him as a major artist in the music world. Following on from the highly regarded Astral Weeks, Morrison would move further away from that particular albums folk orientated sound towards a greater blend of R&B, soul, jazz, and folk rock on Moondance. This stylistic change of direction would ensure that he found his niche as a musician and the sound he would become best known for.

In what many regard as his magnum opus, Moondance not only contains some of Morrison’s best songs, but it also sees Van at his most soulful as he delivers the songs like a man possessed. Right across the album Morrison’s vocals are sublime and include some of his best performances as he pushes his vocals to the limit. There is the pastoral folk rock of “And It Stoned Me”, the rhythm and blues like “These Dreams of You”, the soul of “Caravan” and “Brand New Day”, and the jazz of Moondance. All of these songs contain amazing vocals, especially during the hook or chorus where Van lets rip with that distinctive range of his pushing the boundaries of what is possible vocally. As you listen you often get the feeling he has reached his maximum range and has gone as far as he can reach with some notes, but then he takes it even further to another level by at which stage you just sit back and admire the vocal prowess of this man. 

There are really no weak moments, or tracks on this album and on every instance Morrison nails his delivery giving everything to each song and meaning every word he sings. The way he moves between a soft pastoral sound to a rough edged soulful sound on different tracks also gives the album a much needed varied feel between soft and loud moments, and ensures that for the listener this album isn’t just an explosion of soul coming at you at full blast. Van’s amazing vocals are also accompanied by some nice touches of semi-acoustic guitar playing, female backing singers, and a wonderful horn section all of which lend themselves well to the songs and are one of the highlights of the album for me.

Moondance for me is Van Morrison’s best album, while his vocal performance on it surely must be one of the greatest in popular music history. The effort he puts into every song and the range he displays whether it be his softer side such as on “Crazy Love”, or his full on soulful side “Glad Tidings” helped establish him as one of the premier British R&B/soul singers for the rest of the decade, and ensured that he would have a highly successful and respected career from then on. If you want an album that represents classic Van Morrison then this is it, he made other good albums to but this one in my opinion is a touch above the rest in terms of singing ability and what he could achieve vocals wise. Moondance is an amazing exhibition of R&B and soul singing, and is a must listen for anyone who can appreciate quality singing and soul. And this has soul, plenty of SOUL!

 

A+

 

- Sam

Nick Drake - Bryter Layter (1970)

Over the years, Nick Drake has become somewhat of a cult figure in music and since his untimely death in 1974 has taken on a large following of fans. This in itself is no real surprise, as the man was an unbelievable musical talent who was taken too early. What is more confusing however is why he did not receive the amount of attention, or commercial recognition that he has subsequently gained when he was alive? But that discussion is for another day, and instead I am going to focus on the music that has given this man a cult following by looking at his second studio release Bryter Layter from 1970.   

Bryter Layter is quite different from most of his other work in particular in that it has a full backing band accompanying him, including members of seminal English folk rock group Fairport Convention, and guest appearance by among others ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale. Although Drake continues to showcase the Baroque influenced orchestral arrangements that were seen on his brilliant first album Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter is a more eclectic album that includes jazz influences, and a notably more electric sound than its predecessor. Although his pastoral folk sound complete with acoustic guitar and airy vocals is ever present, this album is more polished and commercially sounding in nature with very good production, especially when it comes to the instrumental arrangements. It is also his most diverse album stylistically encompassing everything from the Baroque influences on “Fly”, folk rock on “Hazey Jane II”, and jazz on “The Chime of The City Clock”, “One Of These Things First”, and “Poor Boy” tracks that include wonderful flourishes of jazz piano, smooth sax parts, and even soulful female backing singers. Such elements are far removed from the dark and spacious acoustic folk sound that appeared on his final studio album Pink Moon, where notably he was only accompanied once by another musician on the opening title track.

The blending of musical styles across this album and intelligent use of backing arrangements highlights well Nick Drakes abilities as a musician, suggesting he was more than just a singer-songwriter. On Bryter Layter we see how he could take other styles of music such as jazz and make them work so well in combination with his own unique acoustic folk style, and in doing so not lose anything musically with the end result still sounding quintessentially Nick Drake.  In fact complex string and piano arrangements lend themselves very well to Drake’s reflective lyrics and soft vocal delivery, allowing his own unique finger picking guitar style and vocals to flow gently over the top of the busy instrumental arrangements without taking the limelight.

Bryter Layter sits very well alongside Nick Drakes other more intense sounding work and is very good on the ear if his more acoustic folk style does not do it for you. It is a very reflective album and one where on listening you can’t help but feel a sense of joy, hopefulness, and warmth things that you often do not feel when listening to Nick Drake’s music. Bryter Layter is a true 1970s underground masterpiece and shows there was another more playful and experimental side to this man’s music.   

A

- Sam

"Message to Love: The Isle of White Festival 1970" directed by Murray Lerner

If you are looking for a good “rockumentary” to watch, then “Message to Love: The Isle of White Festival 1970” could be for you. It covers the 1970 Isle of White music festival and in particular the chaos that went with it when around 600,000 people converged on this tiny island to witness performances from Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis among others. The film does a good job in highlighting the many problems and incidents the festival faced including performers getting booed, stage invasions, and raucous youth attempting to break into the festival by tearing down the perimeter fence that was built to keep those without tickets out. Apart from some very good performances, the ultimate highlight of the film for me was head promoter Rikki Farr’s rants against the audience, which only got more vocal as the situation involving the people outside the fence worsened. This film is a highly enjoyable watch which delves into one of the climatic moments of the late-60s period, and is made even more interesting considering there would not be another festival held on the Isle of White until 2002.

A-

- Sam