Missionaria Protectiva

  JOHN MILES  Zaragon  (Decca,1978) - Rock       For Zaragon, the John Miles and Bob Marshall songwriting team wrote seven new songs. This included the eight minute epic Plain Jane, and the three part suite Nice Man Jack. These seven songs were recorded by John’s original band with Rupert Holmes again taking charge of production.       Music was changing, with punk, post punk and disco among the most popular musical genres So were people’s opinions on orchestral arrangements. Many critics and record industry insiders thought that albums with orchestral arrangements were yesterday’s sound. For John Miles, he was moving towards rock epics, like Overture, which lasted nine minutes. Keyboards and synths were to the fore, and replaced the lush, orchestral arrangements of previous albums.  TRACKLIST : Overture                         Borderline           ...

  JUSTIN HAYWARD  Night Flight  (Decca,1980) - Rock       You could say that the album,'Night Flight' is more of a dance worthy love song dominated album. Unfortunately this album was not well received by the fans. Even though this album proved to be a dissatisfaction to the fans, it' still Justin Hayward. There's speculation that fans weren't overly thrilled about Jeff Wayne's Musical of "The War of the World's' ( Justin provided vocals to one of the songs ) so Justin had Wayne produce 'Night Flight', maybe not a good idea considering all the disappointment. TRACKLIST : Night Flight                        Maybe It's Just Love                        Crazy Lovers                        Penumbra Moon                        ...

  AMANDA LEAR  Sweet Revenge  (Ariola,1978) - Euro disco       Amanda sings and speaks with such great finesse; and despite her French  accent, her English diction is spot on. Her music and lyrics are pure  indulgence ― an absolutely intoxicating and mesmerising mix of extravagant  and luxurious aural treats.       With the synth sequencing; this album is rather technologically advanced for  its time (compared to most of the productions done during this period in the U.K., Europe, Scandinavia, and the U.S.)       The late 1970s production methods and techniques are quite lush as well. TRACKLIST : Follow Me                        Gold                        Mother, Look What They've Done To Me                        Run Baby Run ...

  SISTER SLEDGE  We Are Family  (Cotillion,1979) - Disco/Soul       Recorded simultaneously with Chic's own C'est Chic album, We Are Family was written and produced by Rodgers and Edwards, who had recently scored big with Everybody Dance and Dance, Dance, Dance. They were offered the cream of Atlantic’s roster to work with. Icons such as The Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin were rejected in favour of Philadelphia quartet Sister Sledge. By taking this relatively blank canvas, who’d already released a duo of underperforming albums, expectations were low.       Disco myth suggests that Sister Sledge’s records prior to this were simply not very good, but both had some great moments. If you listen to Funky Family from 1977’s Together, you hear the template for We Are Family. However, it sounds like a cola commercial as opposed to the gargantuan groove produced by Rodgers and Edwards.       With four classics (We Are Family, Lost I...

  SYREETA  One To One  (Motown,1977) - R&B,Soul       Assisted by a tight, all-star band and producer Leon Ware, One To One became the best album of Syreeta’s three-album career. While commercial success still eluded Syreeta, she proved not only was their life after Stevie Wonder. The three year break she’d enjoyed, had rejuvenated her career. One To One, was the finest album Syreeta had released and is indeed, a hidden gem in Motown’s back-catalogue.  TRACKLIST : One To One                         I Don't Know                         Rest Yourself                         I Too Am Waiting                         Tiki Tiki Donga                         Do...

  TOWER OF POWER  Back To Oakland  (WB, 1974) - Funk, Soul       Arguably the best and certainly the most commercially successful album from one of the greatest horn section bands. ‘Back to Oakland’ featured blistering horn section writing and awesome soloing by a young Lenny Pickett who went on to lead the Saturday Night Live band for 20 years. TRACKLIST : Oakland Stroke...                        Don't Change Horses (In The Middle Of A Stream)                        Just When We Start Makin' It                        Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong)                        Squib Cakes                        Time Will Tell          ...