Missionaria Protectiva

  RORY GALLAGHER  Rory Gallagher  (Polydor,1971) - Blues rock       Rory’s solo debut was a natural progression from Taste and set the template for the 10 studio albums that followed: a blend of authentic blues, acoustic folk, and blistering rock‘n’roll.       Impressively for such a staunch blues traditionalist, Gallagher didn’t cover any old standards for any of his earliest solo albums. He had plenty of great original material, and a shit-hot band to back him up.  Laundromat  is the kind of stinging boogie that  ZZ Top  built an entire career on,  I Fall Apart  is a deep blues lament, and  Can’t Believe It’s True  is a Traffic-style jazz-rock jam with Rory playing saxophone.  TRACKLIST : Laundromat                          Just The Smile                          I Fal...

  ROBBIE ROBERTSON  Storyville  (Geffen,1991) - Rock       The 10 tracks traverse several states and decades in describing an on-again, off-again love affair, along with the protagonist’s search for spiritual fulfillment, climaxing far from Louisiana on the Hopi Indian reservation.       This narrative seems to have stayed mostly in the artist’s head (and in the detailed press kit synopsis). “Storyville” is better appreciated as a strong but uneven collection of tunes than as the dramatic whole he envisioned.       Some cuts get surprisingly pedestrian in waxing romantic and wonderstruck, Robertson’s populist sense besting his poetic instincts. (Lines like “We’re all living in a street opera” veer mighty close to Bon Jovi territory.)       Other vignettes, though, are standouts--like “Soapbox Preacher” (in which Robertson’s husky whisper mixes prettily with a Neil Young harmony), “Resurrection” (where gospel’s Zi...

  DAVE EDMUNDS  Get It  (Swan Song,1977) - Rock       Edmunds was making enough musical noise that he could count Robert Plant as a fan, which led to him being offered a deal on Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label that gave him full artist control. The tracks that made up his first Swan Song release, 1977’s  “Get It”,  had already largely been recorded by Edmunds at Rockfield Studios before he got the deal, and they include several Nick Lowe tunes, including the first recording of his classic  ‘I Knew The B ride ’ . Dave Edmunds was never a prolific songwriter, and he was impressed with Lowe’s ability to write songs quickly. The album included former Man drummer Terry Williams, who had also played with Love Sculpture at the end of their career, Lowe on bass for some tracks with fellow Brinsleys’ drummer Billy Rankin and Bob Andrews on piano, and Chilli Willi’s Paul Riley on bass. The songs were more contemporary than on Edmunds’ earlier releases, ...

        Francis Alan Fitzgerald  is an American musician (both a bassist and a keyboardist), was a member of several U.S. bands. He played as a bassist in the bands Montrose and Gamma, both of which also featured guitarist Ronnie Montrose. He played keyboards for Sammy Hagar as a solo artist. In the 1980s, he was the keyboardist for Night Ranger. He also played keyboards offstage for Van Halen in the early 1990s and the 2004, 2007, and 2012 tours as well as offstage keyboard for Bruce Springsteen at the Devils and Dust Tour in 2005. NIGHT RANGER Dawn Patrol Boardwalk, 1982 https://www.sendspace.com/file/tcckmx

  YELLOWJACKETS   Mirage A Trois  (WB,1983) - Jazz       This album seemed to combine the two: instrumental jazz with the synth as the main melodic instrument. Keyboardist Russell Ferrante played a lot of different instruments that were cutting edge at the time (Yamaha GS-1 and CE-20, OBX, and Prophet) which date the sound but in a good way, if that makes any sense. At this time, the group was basically a synth-bass-drums trio with lots of guest artists (Richard Elliot, Robben Ford, Randy Crawford, Bruce Hornsby, Brenda Russell, etc.) appearing on certain tracks, but in later releases, the group would add a permanent sax player. To me, they never sounded this good again. TRACKLIST : Claire's Song                        Top Secret                        I Got Rhythm                     ...

  MORGAN & TANDY  Earthrise  (FM/Revolver,1985/2011) - Rock       Dave Scott Morgan is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and a stalwart of the sixties Birmingham music scene. He was later to tour for several years as a member of The Electric Light Orchestra with his friend Richard Tandy, with whom he had collaborated in the years before. They reached a particularly creative peak with their album Earthrise. TRACKLIST : Spaceship Earth                           Earth Rise                           Under The Blue / Asteroid                           Starclipse / Purpose                           Escape From The Citadel                       ...

  BRAND X  Is There Anything About?  (CBS,1982) - Jazz fusion       While far from an essential Brand X release, there is still some strong material contained here. "Ipanaemia" is a bouncy jazz-fusion track littered with tasty guitar licks from Goodsall and Collins deft touch on the drums. "A Longer April" is a nice showcase for the emotional sax work of Ravenscroft and Giblin's elastic bass lines, while "Modern, Noisy and Effective" features some soul searching synth melodies courtesy of Lumley...anything but noisy actually. The band gets into a deep funk groove on the upbeat "Swan Song", a nice vehicle for Giblin's muscular bass and Goodsall's guitar licks. The legendary Jones makes his first appearance on this CD with the excellent title track, as he and Collins plow through some intricate rhythms before Lumley and Goodsall join in on the fun on this funky fusion burner. "Tmiu-Atga", short for 'their making it up as t...

  GATO BARBIERI  Last Tango In Paris  (UA,1973) - Soundtrack      So undtrack recordings are a problematic affair. Screen music, unless foregrounded in a bio-pic like Clint Eastwood’s Bird (1988) or in a nightclub sequence like Henry Mancini’s source music for TV’s Peter Gunn (1958), is generally intended to be “subliminal,” to be invisible like a film’s editing so as not to distract from the drama. As a result, most screen music, while designed to italicize the narrative, is also written (and mixed) to be unobtrusive. Still, many scores, including those reviewed below, have, at least for music fans, transcended their original uses to go on to stand-alone lives of their own.       Tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri’s soundtrack for Bernardo Bertolucci’s controversial Last Tango in Paris (1972) still packs a wallop, sizzling in torrid counterpoint to the steamy on-screen Marlon Brando-Maria Schneider affair. At one extreme, Barbieri’s smoldering ...

  ALLAN HOLDSWORTH  Velvet Darkness  (CTI,1976) - Jazz fusion       Velvet Darkness  is a musical bastard. Holdsworth himself has disowned it as the illegitimate offspring of a recording session that was never paid for or approved. This has not stopped record labels from re-releasing it over the years or fans from praising it. Featuring a mix of fiery fusion instrumentals and acoustic guitar interludes,  Velvet Darkness  is occasionally breathtaking.  TRACKLIST : Good Clean Filth                        Floppy Hat                        Wish                        Kinder                        Velvet Darkness                        Karzie Key ...

  RENAISSANCE  Novella  (Sire,1977) - Progressive rock       That the audience's tastes had changed didn't seem to matter much to Renaissance, who in 1977, undeterred by the musical revolution taking place, released their seventh studio album with an unchanged lineup, following a successful concert season that culminated with the release of the double  Live at Carnegie Hall .      Novella  is indeed another tale that seems to come from the past, almost a re-edition of their debut album,  five tracks opened by a very long suite (  Can You Hear Me?  ) with the piano always in the spotlight and refined arrangements to elevate  Haslam 's singing;  it's pure progressive, as the style of this band eludes by definition any genre label.      Midas Man  that opens the second side is certainly one of the best pieces of the record and of Renaissance's entire production, two intimate tracks for ...

        The Young Rascals (the ‘young’ prefix was dropped when the band members left their teens) initially gained a following in New Jersey around 1965, particularly the Choo Choo Club in Garfield, where they made their debut in January of that year.        Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore  was their first single, and their first American hit.        By mid-1965 they were supporting  The Beatles  at Shea Stadium. but it was  Good Lovin’  in 1966 which gave them their first Number 1 success.        Then in 1967, they recorded what was to be their major hit,  Groovin’,  which also marked a total change of style. It was a record that captured the mood of that spring. The disc signalled the summit of their career and, although they had another Stateside #1 the following year with  People Got To Be Free , they were on the downward path.       1971 brough...

  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...