Missionaria Protectiva

  SONJA KRISTINA  Sonja Kristina  (Chopper,1980) - Folk/Prog rock            The messy end of  Curved Air  finally behind her, Sonja Kristina all but disappeared from the scene for a couple of years, before finally making a low-key comeback at the head of a new band, Escape. It was a tentative venture. Early gigs saw the band performing primarily to veteran fans who'd have preferred to hear their old favorites; it took time for a younger audience to catch on that Escape was actually shaping up to be one of the best live bands on the late-'70s club circuit -- and one of the best new wave bands full-stop. Firmly predicting all that  Lene Lovich ,  Haze l O'Connor , and  Toyah  would be bringing to the Top 30 over the next couple of years, Escape's sound was firmly rooted in the present day, a succession of exhilarating, quirk-bedecked rockers that owed little more than their assurance to any past experience. Whe...

  G/Z/R  Plastic Planet  (TVT,1995) - Alternative metal       In 1995, Geezer found himself drawn to the brutal yet melodic cyber metal of Fear Factory and Ministry and it surely shows. Recruiting Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell on vocals, Peter ‘Pedro’ Howse (the one constant across the sets) on guitar and Deen Castronovo on drums, Geezer set about making a blistering album that still sounds surprisingly contemporary today. TRACKLIST : Catatonic Eclipse                          Drive Boy, Shooting                          Giving Up The Ghost                          Plastic Planet                          The Invisible                         ...

  BOX OF FROGS  Box Of Frogs  (Epic,1984) - Rock      Short-lived collaboration between former members of The Yardbirds (Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, Jim McCarty) and vocalist, John Fiddler. Two albums were released between 1984-86, both featuring contributions from a number of guest artists, including Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher and Jeff Beck. TRACKLIST : Back Where I Started                          Harder                          Another Wasted Day                          Love Inside You                          The Edge                          Two Steps Ahead                     ...

        The Police drummer Stewart Copeland, who is well-known for his extremely versatile drumming that is mainly focused on rock as well as popular solo projects, movie soundtracks, and even soundtracks for the video game Spyro the Dragon.       Copeland’s contributions to The Police’s early track list, including their first single “Fall Out”, showcased his exceptional songwriting talent. Fans and critics alike were drawn to his innovative approach to rhythm and his ability to blend various genres seamlessly. CURVED AIR Midnight Wire BTM,1975 https://www.sendspace.com/file/qe282p

  JACKIE LOMAX  Is This What You Want?  (Apple,1969) - Rock       His musical roots lay in the sweaty all-night rock sessions at Liverpool’s Cavern Club during the Merseybeat boom of 1962, singing and playing bass guitar with a group called The Undertakers, who often dressed in funereal suits, top hats and black ribbons. But such was his promise that by 1968 he was poised for fame in his own right when The Beatles launched their own Apple record label and included Lomax on their roster of new artists.       The Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison, an early fan of The Undertakers, wrote a song especially for Lomax — Sour Milk Sea — which was released as one of Apple’s “First Four” singles, along with Mary Hopkin’s Those Were The Days and the Black Dyke Mills Band’s Thingummybob.       Sadly for Lomax, however, the fourth single was The Beatles’ tour de force Hey Jude, and although Sour Milk Sea featured the formidable combine...

  HUDSON BROTHERS  Hollywood Situation  (Casablanca,1974) - Pop,Rock       No one would ever dream that a summer-replacement variety-show comic team could also be the out-of-nowhere musical sensations of the year, but that's exactly what the Hudson Brothers sound like to me.  Hollywood Situtation,  a hastily assembled album rush released to coincide with their TV show, communicates that rarest of contemporary commodities -- actual, infectious excitement. The title rocker jolts the adrenalin right off, and a succession of irresistible melodies, brash, dynamic rock and exhilarating harmonies sustain the initial intensity. The Hudsons display enviable polish, too, on "Song for Stephanie," "Three of Us" and the slower, amazingly Lennonesque hit single, "So You Are a Star." But even their lesser tunes ("Ma Ma Ma Baby") have that essential raw edge that removes them from the ordinary pale. The three Hudson Brothers wrote everything and played almos...

  FM  Surveillance  (Passport,1979) - Space/Prog rock      For their third album, with violinist Ben Mink now fully integrated into the band, the Canadian trio left the sidelong instrumental suites explored on their second  Direct to Disc , and went back to the shorter song format they started with on their debut  Black Noise . As before, Cameron Hawkins plays synth, bass and sings lead, while drummer Martin Deller ties it all together. Even though the opener "Rocket Roll" is lyrically a bit on the dorky side, the three song suite that follows ("Orion / Horizons / Random Harvest") is probably among the best things FM ever recorded, each part segueing into the next beautifully, and the superb violin and electric mandolin solos on "Horizons" make it one of FM's most unforgettable tracks. Perhaps the band's best lyrics, dealing with life's end, are heard on "Father Time," and the powerful jazz-informed instrumental section for scat-vocal...

  RAMATAM Ramatam  (Atlantic,1972) - Rock       Ramatam's chief claim to fame was in having a female lead guitarist, April Lawton, in the early '70s, especially as she was the only female member of the band. Well, it's not common now (sadly), so try to put yourself back in those days of unrestrained sexism to see how unusual this was. Of course, if you didn't know, you wouldn't know, as she was a competent rock guitarist in an era when you could find a competent rock guitarist on every corner, particularly in the States, where rock had more mainstream appeal than it ever managed in the UK. The rest of the band were far from slackers, too, with vocalist/guitarist Mike Pinera from Blues Image and Manna and none other than Mitch Mitchell on drums, the longest-surviving member of the Experience. TRACKLIST : Whiskey Place                        Heart Song               ...

  WIRELESS  No Static  (Anthem,1980) - Rock       In the history of Canadian rock and roll, Wireless is but a footnote.   They didn’t sell many records and their biggest claim to fame was being managed by SRO, the same people who managed Rush.   They were a band that had what it takes, musically, but the record buying public paid little attention to them.       The band’s foundation was not solid and the label was not too interested in keeping the Wireless boat afloat.   Management mate Geddy Lee of Rush came to the rescue and stepped up to the plate as producer and hit a home run.   Out of nowhere, this band suddenly rocked and even brought to mind Bad Company with tunes like “Pay to Ride,” “Timekeeper” and “Friends.”   This album is solid from beginning to end and while they didn’t reinvent the wheel, Wireless showed that they could have been a contender. TRACKLIST : Pay To Ride           ...

  SCAFFOLD Sold Out  (WB,1975) - Comedy rock       The Scaffold’s nucleus of comedian John Gorman, poet Roger McGough and songwriter Mike McGear emerged from the fertile early 1960s Liverpool theatre scene before topping the hit parade.       Mike McGear was actually the alias for Mike McCartney who didn’t want anyone to think he was trading off his older brother’s name who at the time was enjoying some success with the Fab Four. TRACKLIST : Liverpool Lou                          Potato Clock                          Mingulay Boating Song                          Ramsbottom                          Beilins Boneyard                       ...

  FLO & EDDIE  Illegal, Immoral And Fattening  (Columbia,1975) - Comedy rock       A true mix of music and comedy, with outright stand up bits over backing music interspersed with full tunes. The comedy bits are a bit hit and miss and don't quite hold up on repeated listenings, but the actual songs have the right blend of tongue in cheek and pop appeal. TRACKLIST : Illegal, Immoral And Fattening                     Rebecca                     Kama Sutra Time                     The Sanzini Brothers Return (With The Tibetian Memory Trick)                     Livin' In The Jungle                     Cheap                     The Kung Fu Killer     ...

        Bobbie Gentry (Roberta Lee Streeter) was Mississippi born and bred.  At 13, Bobbie moved to Palm Springs to live with her mother who had remarried and they appeared together as a singing duo, Ruby and Bobbie Meyers.       She studied philosophy at the University of California and later enrolled at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music where she took classes in composition, music theory and arranging.  Meanwhile, she found well-paid work as a singer and dancer in Las Vegas. Drawing on country, folk and blues – and taking her stage name from the Charlton Heston movie  Ruby Gentry  – she wrote her own first hit ( Ode To Billie Joe ).  In the States, the album  Ode to Billie Joe  knocked  Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band  off the top spot and earned Gentry three Grammy awards.  Such a daring start made her record company nervous, and Bobbie adopted a cosier personality to keep them hap...

  RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON  Hokey Pokey  (Island,1975) - Folk rock       It’s probably going too far to say that  Hokey Pokey  is an overlooked gem in the Richard Thompson catalog. But this, the second of six studio albums released by Richard and Linda Thompson between 1974 and 1982, generally doesn’t receive the accolades reserved for their first and last. The first,  I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight   and the last,  Shoot Out The Lights  deservedly are considered classics. More than classics, defining moments in British popular music of the era. TRACKLIST : Hokey Pokey (The Ice Cream Song)                          I'll Regret It All In The Morning                          Smiffy's Glass Eye                         ...

  IAN MATTHEWS Stealin' Home  (Rockburgh,1978) - Soft rock       Ian Matthews is known for his early work with Fairport Convention and then with Plainsong, as well as for his extensive solo career. In 1978 he released  Stealin’ Home , which included his big hit “Shake It.” The album has some original material, but also lots of covers, including an a cappella rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carefully Taught.” These are mostly mellow tunes, with a few exceptions like “Slip Away” and “Man In The Station,” the latter having just a bit of a disco thing happening, plus some nice work on harmonica by Duffy Power. TRACKLIST : Gimme An Inch Girl                           Don't Hang Up Your Dancing Shoes                           King Of The Night                         ...

  JOHN MARTYN  The Church With One Bell  (Independiente,1998) - Folk,Blues       Martyn’s charm is that he was never a purist and the result is a surprisingly cohesive blend, with the unhinged vocals providing a common thread as the musical backdrop varies from morbid to funky. Not that it is all doom’n’gloom, with the easy grooves of Small Town Talk and He’s Got All the Whiskey providing welcome relief from the soul searching.       More accessible, certainly, than And, his elusive 1996 outing. But make no mistake, a glimpse of John Martyn’s music is a glimpse of the far side. TRACKLIST : He's Got All The Whiskey                        God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind)                        How Fortunate The Man With None                        Small Town Tal...

  JOHN ENTWISTLE  The Rock  (Griffin,1996) - Rock       There's no questioning the technical skill of the performances -- this band sounds tight and expert throughout, and Entwistle and  Zak Starkey  are a mighty rhythm section -- but most of Henry Small's songs are a mass of clichés and the guitar and keyboard figures firmly date this album as a product of the mid-'80s. TRACKLIST : Stranger In A Strange Land                        Love Doesn't Last                        Suzie                        Bridges Under The Water                        Heartache                        Billy                   ...