Missionaria Protectiva

  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                   ...

  GRIP Inc.  The Power Of Inner Strength  (Steamhammer,1995) - Groove metal       GRIP INC. – the new band of drummer Dave Lombardo and ex-Despair/Voodoocult guitarist Waldemar Sorychta – have delivered a real blast with "The Power Of Inner Strength." GRIP INC. easily withstands direct comparisons to Slayer (which inevitably arise when you have a man like Lombardo behind the drum kit). In my opinion, they even take things one step further in terms of songwriting, even if they're partly in the same vein stylistically ('Hostage To Heaven', 'Colors Of Death').   TRACKLIST : Toque De Muerto                        Savage Seas                        Hostage To Heaven                        Monster Among Us                      ...

  JOHN FRUSCIANTE  Niandra LaDas And Usually Just A T-Shirt  (American,1994) - LoFi/Experimental rock       Guitar legend John Frusciante's first solo album, Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt, takes you on a bizarre journey to the faraway land that is the mind of a junkie. With screaming vocals and a wailing guitar, this album goes to a major extreme... horrific, unimaginable beauty. Really, you have to hear it to believe it, and you have to get used to it before you can like it. Love it or hate it. No in-between whatsoever. TRACKLIST 1: As Can Be / My Smile Is A Rifle / Head / Big Takeover / Curtains / Running Away Into You /                                  Mascara / Been Insane / Skin Blues / Your Pussy's Glued To A Building On Fire / Blood On My                            Neck From Success / Te...

        Hailing from Monroe, LA, Rhodes took to music at an early age, playing guitar and later picking up the bass. Before settling in Nashville, Rhodes spent time in Austin during the late 1970s and then Memphis, working with Alan Rich. His move to Nashville turned out to be fortuitous as he began doing sessions for publishing companies and major label artists. As country music began to boom in the late 1980s, so did Rhodes’ career as a session player. He established himself as a first call bassist, playing on records by Reba McEntire, Hank Williams, Jr., Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, and Kenny Chesney, among others. With an intuitive feel for blues and soul music, Rhodes’ resume also includes countless artists outside the realm of country, including Larry Carlton, Aaron Neville, Joan Osbourne, and Brian Wilson. ROSANNE CASH King's Record Shop Columbia,1987 https://www.sendspace.com/file/73hzz1

  707  Mega Force  (Boardwalk,1982) - Rock/AOR      T his is quite simple and straight 80ties Hardrock, radio influenced, but then it was released in a time when Hardrock were very popular in the stated too, not like today.      The simpleness in the music is sometimes alike what AC/DC (And actually there is a song here with the same name as a AC/DC song, "Hell of High Water") have been doing since the beginning of the seventies, but with a big touch of the sound that the bands in the states had in the eighties.      So I think this is something you really should check out of you're a fan of the old American Hardrock scene, this is surely a pearl. TRACKLIST : Mega Force                        Can't Hold Back                        Get To You                    ...

  HEADSTONE  Bad Habits  (EMI,1974) - Rock       Even before hearing a note of their music, their pedigree is impressive enough: members of Rare Bird and Atomic Rooster, produced by John Anthony (Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, Queen, Roxy Music), recorded in famous studios Rockfield and Trident, artwork by Hipgnosis… all of the elements are there.        The resulting debut album  Bad Habits  from 1974 is a rollicking collection of rock songs spiced with funk, blues, and soul. Eagle-eyed readers will also spot harmony vocal credits for Ashton’s former Rare Bird bandmate Steve Gould as well as from Carl Douglas… yes,  that  Carl Douglas, who that very same year had a big hit with Kung Fu Fighting.       And what a sleeve! The cover is a cheeky play on words showing a nun with a lit cigarette dangling from her mouth (five years before The Monks blatantly copied both the title and artwork for their own ...

  TARNEY/SPENCER BAND  Run For Your Life  (A&M,1979) - Pop rock        A stellar pop rock album with great production, that sometimes reminds me a stripped down Alan Parsons Project. Hooks galore! TRACKLIST : No Time To Lose                     The Race Is Almost Run                     Won'tcha Tell Me                     Live Again                     Run For Your Life                     Don't                     Far Better Man                     Lies                     A Heart Will Break Tonight                ...

  DEAN FRIEDMAN 'Well, Well', Said The Rocking Chair  (Lifesong,1978) - Pop rock       Dean Friedman is a songwriter who is very clever in style, melody and lyrical content. Why he wasn't a bigger hit is a mystery to me. His only hit, "Ariel" is a clever and catchy song about the dating scene in the 1970's. His writing uses the city as a back drop to his stories (The Deli Song, Ariel, Shopping Bag Ladies). In "Deli" you hear the background of the counter people calling out orders. His songs sound like a conversation and are very insightful and sweet (Lucky Stars). He gets humorous and jazzy with; S & M and Rocking Chair. He gets deep with Shopping Bad Ladies. His piano and guitar playing is right up there with the other singer/songwriters of the era. His voice is unique and very emotive. If you were around in the 1970's you did hear Ariel on the radio but you should take listen to his other work, it's moving, melodic and most important, m...

  LEVON HELM  American Son  (MCA,1980) - Country rock       While recording a few songs for the movie Coal Miner's Daughter, in which he played  Loretta Lynn's  father, Levon Helm and friends just kept the tape rolling. American Son offers ten songs from those productive sessions. A band of Nashville veterans replaces the superstar lineup of Helm's first two albums. The resulting record has a relaxed groove that kicks in with "Watermelon Time in Georgia" and doesn't let up. The terrific "Hurricane" evokes  the Band's  second album, while "Violet Eyes" and "China Girl" are highlighted by engaging harmonies. American Son is considered by many to be Levon's best solo album. TRACKLIST : Watermelon Time In Georgia                        Dance Me Down Easy                        Violet Eyes         ...