Missionaria Protectiva

  SHUGGIE OTIS  Inspiration Information  (Epic,1974) - Psychedelic soul       A blues guitar prodigy who’d been playing with his father  (pioneering R&B bandleader Johnny Otis) since he was 11, Otis played on Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats when he was 16, and released an album with blues-rock gadabout Al Kooper before he was 20.  Upon release in October 1974, Inspiration certainly sounded like the work of an isolated L.A. savant. Smooth, organ-driven California funk, quasi-new age psychedelia, loungey jazz instrumentals, string interludes-- all propelled by the same kind of analog drum machine that had piqued Ralf & Florian's interest at the same time .       Inspiration instantly earned comparisons to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and reportedly made Sly Stone’s jaw drop upon hearing it.  The album failed to live up to Columbia’s expectations, such as they were, and Otis was unceremoniously dropped from the label after its...

  VAN DYKE PARKS  Discover America  (WB, 1972) - Progressive pop, Calypso       On paper, Discover America is a calypso record, with Parks remodelling traditional songs in a celebration of Trinidadian culture. It does that, and it sounds joyous. But it’s not all sunlight. Hidden behind the breezy rhythms, he’s also making a sly comment about post-colonial Trinidad and, by implication, race relations in the US. That sounds grim, but it’s largely playful, and sometimes straightforwardly funny (see “G-Man Hoover”, which tirelessly mocks the fabled FBI chief). Little Feat provide the salty atmospherics on “FDR in Trinidad”, and the gangster theme is continued on the lazy, tropical-sounding “John Jones”. Ry Cooder is an obvious point of reference, but, really, it’s not too much of a stretch to suggest that The Clash colonised this territory a decade later in their pan-global phase (though Parks is slower to anger, and has superior table manners). TRACKLIST: Jac...

  JESSE WINCHESTER  Learn To Love It  (Bearsville,1974) - Folk rock       As the title suggests, making a virtue of necessity had always been one of Jesse Winchester's goals, and by the time of the release of his third album, the American expatriate had gone ahead and assumed Canadian citizenship. This seemed to free him to comment explicitly on his antiwar exile in "Pharaoh's Army" and especially a version of the old campaign song "Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt" updated with new lyrics: "In the year of 1967, as a somewhat younger man, the call to bloody glory came, and I would not raise my hand." Elsewhere, Winchester continued to write love songs to his lost South ("L'Air de la Louisiane," "Mississippi You're on My Mind") and, to a lesser extent, to pursue the wistful philosophizing found on Third Down, 110 to Go ("Defying Gravity").  TRACKLIST : Wake Me                     Every Word You Say   ...

  MADDY PRIOR & JUNE TABOR  Silly Sisters  (Chrysalis,1976) - Folk rock       Maddy Prior and June Tabor’s Silly Sisters is a magical hinge album, a meeting of two transcendent voices and a jolly band of British folk masters. Recorded in 1976 but somehow outside of time, its ancient songs, close harmonies, and loose, luminous performances summon something older than the British folk revival itself. Fifty years on, it remains a timeless gem hiding in plain sight: raw, sophisticated, and mysterious. TRACKLIST: Doffin' Mistress                          Burning Of Auchindoon                          Lass Of Loch Royal                          The Seven Joys Of Mary                          My Husband's...

         In Lee Kerslake, we have another example of a drummer who while you probably have never heard his name mentioned (not often, at least), you most certainly have heard his thunderous playing. Case in point, if you’re a Heavy Metal fan, then you probably are a fan of Ozzy Osbourne, and if you’re a fan of Ozzy, then I am sure you’ve looked into his seminal albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman . Have you ever wondered who played drums on those albums? Yes, that is the one and only Lee Kerslake AKA “The Bear” backing up Ozzy on the radio staple and instantly recognizable track  'Crazy Train'.   Sadly, it seems that Lee had some sort of falling out with Ozzy, and while he did handle all of the drum tracks on Diary of a Madman , Tommy Alderidge continues to be unfairly credited for work he did not perform on the record. Perhaps lesser known is the fact that Lee Kerslake was the long-time drummer for seminal Progressive Rock outfit Uriah Heep....

  BERNIE MARSDEN  Look At Me Now  (Parlophone,1981) - Hard rock       The lineup wasn't quite as extensive as on his solo debut album, "And About Time Too," when Whitesnake's Bernie Marsden recorded the follow-up album "Look At Me Now" in 1981, but it was still top-notch enough to nail down these songs in just three weeks. These days, you'd barely be adjusting the drum mics.      While the guitarist had leaned heavily on a 70s West Coast style on the previous album (you know, sometimes you want to try something different), "Look At Me Now" was significantly rockier. The driving riffs at the beginning of the title track announce this in true Whitesnake fashion, and with Ian Paice and Neil Murray, Bernie had their driving force on board, along with Jon Lord, their keyboard specialist at the time. Only Lord's Polymoog flourishes point a little too obviously back to the 80s. Bernie's voice, as usual, lacks the power of his Whitesnake lead s...

  WHITESNAKE  Trouble  (EMI,1978) - Hard rock       The band’s debut album was the first to feature Coverdale’s former Purple bandmate Jon Lord. Trouble served as a template for all albums until 1987 : good-time rock delivered with varying and mostly loveable degrees of success.       Take Me With You , the title-track, the instrumental Belgian Tom’s Hat Trick all do the business and in Lie Down (A Modern Love Song) with its chorus of “ Lie down, I think I love you, lie down, I think I care… ” Coverdale managed to be both sexist and funny. TRACKLIST:  Take Me With You                          Love To Keep You Warm                          Lie Down (A Modern Love Song)                          Day Tripper           ...

  BERNIE TORME  Turn Out The Lights  (Kamaflage,1982) - Rock       Bernie's debut solo album, Turn Out The Lights , highlights why Gillan wanted him in his band, and why he formed such an integral part of the classic Gillan line-up. Punk metal, explosive energy, touches of blues a la Hendrix.       The single 'America' is here, and the title track is as good as anything he did with Gillan, it nods at Tobacco Road, exquisite.       There's some melodic touches too. Genius throughout.   TRACKLIST: Turn Out The Lights                      Painter Man                      Lies                      America                      Getting There                     ...

  IAN GILLAN BAND  Child In Time  (Polydor/Oyster,1976) - Jazz rock/Fusion       This album is Ian Gillan's solo debut after he left Deep Purple in early 70-s. Released on small Oyster label, he didn't succeed, mostly because he didn't offer much to ex-Deep Purple fans.       Looking on this album as independent product, open ear listener can find some nice moments though. First of all - "Child In Time", remake of the possibly the best Deep Purple 's song. Not too much similar to original, no way better than it, it offers softer, warmer and much more emotional version. With many progressive rock elements and excellent Gillan's vocals.       Five first songs (all A-side) are all short and more straightforward heavy funk-rock numbers with some r'n'b elements, great Gillan vocals, but not too complex. Even if not so great, these songs are worth listening unless you hate funk in your music or are hungry to listen pseudo-symphonic o...

  GOOD RATS  Ratcity In Blue  (Platinum, 1976) - Rock       The Good Rats are a band that comes to mind quite easily when listening to great Rock & Roll groups that should have become bigger than they actually became. Hailing from Long Island, New York in the 1970s, The Good Rats were immensely popular in the New York area.         The Good Rats Ratcity In Blue . album was released in 1976 on the Platinum Records label. It was an album of 11 songs composed by Good Rats bandleader Peppi Marchello. The album was produced by Stephan Galfas who would go on to work with artists such as the Allman Brothers Band , Meat Loaf and Cher.       Every song on the Ratcity In Blue album is great. There was not one clunker among the 11 great tracks. Of course, we all had our personal favorites but there were a handful of songs on that record  we all agreed stood out among the rest. The first would be the album’s great...

  BLACKFOOT SUE  Nothing To Hide  (JAM,1973) - Rock       Blackfoot Sue are remembered today, if at all, for their one-off UK hit, Standing In The Road, a 1972 no. 4. Helmed by twins Tom and David Farmer, their 'classic' lineup included guitarists Eddie Golga and Alan Jones, all but Jones doubling on keyboards when required.        They released their only album to appear during their 'lifespan', Nothing to Hide, in 1973, bullishly containing no singles, while featuring a vicious put-down of the then-current glam scene, Glittery Obituary. The album's peak, though, is the ripping The Spring Of '69, a condensed heavy epic on a par with the genre's market leaders.  TRACKLIST: Messiah                   Country Home                   Cry                   My Oh My            ...

        System of a Down's unconventional songs, replete with abrupt stops and starts endemic to their idiosyncratic spin on metal, demand a dextrous and often acrobatic performance from their bassist Shavo Odadjian, and he has always been up to the task ... in spades. SYSTEM OF A DOWN System Of A Down American/Columbia, 1998 https://www.sendspace.com/file/b29tlday

  JOBRIATH  Jobriath  (Elektra,1973) - Glam rock      Z iggy Stardust is an invention, a fictional character, Jobriath is the demonstration of how reality is much more prosaic and ruthless than imagination, of how rock 'n' roll and everything that revolves around it often proves to be a deceitful and mocking trap... it is a tale of splendor and misery, that of this talented and forgotten artist , who touched the sky with his finger only to be brutally thrown off without a rock 'n' roll suicide to immortalize him for posterity. Bruce Campbell, the man behind the makeup and extravagant costumes of Jobriath, had three great misfortunes, one consequential to the other: being born on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean, not being shrewd and calculating enough to realize it, and getting caught up in the cynicism of the record industry which, given the (very predictable and expected) failure of the marketing operation organized around him, decided to metaphorical...

  HILLY MICHAELS  Calling All Girls  (WB,1980) - Pop rock     Calling All Girls, the debut from singing drummer wonderboy Hilly Michaels (ex-Sparks), is like a shook-up can of Sunkist, ready to spew its sugary goodness with great force. It is a production triumph thanks to an inspired Roy Thomas Baker, who had a field day with the material. Around every corner are little bits of tasty ear candy: giddy background vocals, pulsing palm-muted guitar, UFO synth tones, flanged passages, castanets, key changes, jingling sleigh bells. It's all here, in generous quantity. The record's sonic profile is a perfect compliment to the music, a vivid celebration of youthful fun. Calling All Girls works in the same way the best Ramones music succeeds: the hooks are irresistible, the message is genuine, the songs level all in their path. TRACKLIST: Calling All Girls Teenage Days Shake It And Dance Gemini ...

  DWIGHT TWILLEY  Scuba Divers  (EMI America,1982) - Power pop / Rock       Kicking off with the propulsive rocker "I'm Back Again," which shines thanks to its layering of acoustic and electric guitars, soaring backing vocals, and dramatic tension, Scuba Divers feels like the work of an artist fully in command of their sound, but also in desperate need to get their songs out to the world. This push and pull makes for a record that's rippling with energy, even on the slower songs like the aching midtempo track "Somebody to Love" or the girl group-inspired "Dion Baby." Twilley swings from these kind of songs, where it sounds like he's removed all the protective layers from his soul, to swaggering rockers that are full of joy ("I Found the Magic") and hope ("I Think It's That Girl"). In between are dramatic, slightly more complicated songs like "10,000 American Scuba Divers Dancin'" or the heavy rocker "C...