Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

If ever there was a definitive album by any band-- this is it. Pet Sounds is the creative pinnacle of the Beach Boys illustrious career.

With not a weak track on the entire album this album is what a classic pop album should sound like.

On a standard pop album, you'd get about eight catchy or fun songs with a ballad or two tossed in for good measure. Pet Sounds on the other hand is like an art museum for your ears-- each song is an aural painting. Much like in a museum of fine art the more you look at paintings the more you notice things that you might not have noticed at first glance-- with every listen of this classic album, you're more than likely to hear things you hadn't heard on any of your previous listens.

While most casual listeners will know Wouldn't It Be Nice, Sloop John B, and God Only Knows-- those songs are but a mere glimpse at the sheer beautiful splendor of the album as a whole. From the romantic Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) to the oddly upbeat I'm Waiting For the Day with it's melancholy lyrics and upbeat music, to the emotive song of lost innocence, Caroline, No.

This is an album best enjoyed in a single sitting, listening start to finish without interruption as each song only augments the rest of the album. The album which was originally mixed and released in mono has been remastered and rereleased in stereo. The first fourteen tracks contain the original mono mix, at which point the album repeats itself in its remastered full stereo sound. But when all is said and done, whether you listen to this masterpiece in mono or stereo you can't escape its musical brilliance.

Related Links
Brian Wilson Smile review
Wouldn't it Be Nice



Sloop John B


God Only Knows

T-Rex - Electric Warrior (1971)

Since Neil Young has been dubbed "The Godfather of Grunge," an argument could just as easily be made for dubbing Marc Bolan "The Godfather of Glam Metal."

Often seen sporting a feather boa and big hair, his style of showmanship was a pre-cursor to the over-the-top look and sound of eighties glam metal by the likes of Def Leppard, Poison, Motley Crue, and Skid Row (to name but a handful).

But in Bolan's music one can hear the strong rockabilly influences of the likes of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and Chuck Berry. However where their music merely implied sexuality, Marc's lyrics were often overtly sexual.

Take for example Raw Ramp:

"Ohhh woman I love your chest too
Baby, I'm crazy about your breasts
Ohhh woman, you think your a champ
But girl you ain't nothin' but a raw ramp"

Or even his mega-hit Bang a Gong (Get It On):

"Well, you're windy and wild
You got the blues in your shoes and your stockings,
You're windy and wild, oh yeah!
Well, you're built like a car
You got a hubcap diamond star halo,
You're dirty, sweet and you're my girl"


Electric Warrior marked the start of T-Rex's ascendance in popularity. An ascendance that would continue with The Slider, and Tanx.

While there are still some vestiges of T-Rex's folk roots, for the most part T-Rex's shift to glam was essentially completed by the release of this album.

Unfortunately, Bolan never enjoyed the same level of success in the United States that he enjoyed in his native England. He had a sense of musical adventurousness that was evident in his use of horns and sometimes even strings in many of T-Rex's songs. Had he lived longer, one wonders if he'd ever have attained the musical cult-hero status of his contemporary and friend, David Bowie-- a fellow artist who has often cited Bolan's lasting influence on his own music.

It's almost ironic that Bolan's blunt and overt lyrical style was largely influenced by the very Americans who have never really given him his due. The recent CD re-release of this classic album contains a handful of bonus tracks, and an extensive and thoroughly interesting radio interview Bolan did at the time of the album's release back in 1971.

When all is said and done, this album has a timelessness that prevents it from sounding as dated as much of this other music from this era now does. If you're not already familiar with his music, this album is the perfect introduction to T-Rex.

Howland-Imboden Project - Live at the Baked Potato (2003)

Keith Howland has been Chicago's guitarist since 1995, Tris Imboden has been their drummer since 1990. Not content to merely exist within the confines of the touring nostalgia act they're now a part of, Howland and Imboden opted to release an album of instrumental jazz/rock fusion in 2002 and followed up that release with this live album in 2003.

Showing themselves as far more than the mere "hired guns" they are for Chicago, Howland and Imboden really stretch out and show what they're capable of. The chemistry between the two of them is unmistakable (after the seven tours they'd performed together on with Chicago, one would certainly hope they'd found some level of chemistry).

While the music is relaxed and generally unoffensive, it also shows a much different side to both musicians than the musical karaoke they've been doing for their "day jobs" for the past several years. Where Chicago is their pay-check, this album shows a labour of love and it also demonstrates that these guys are more than just Terry Kath and Danny Seraphine "substitutes."

Much of the material on this CD, all original compositions by Howland and Imboden, would not sound out of place on a Larry Carlton or Lee Ritenour album, at the same time it has enough individuality and spunk to be very much the product of Keith and Tris.

Stand-out tracks include the hauntingly emotive Philly Blue (the most frequent victim of my repeat button), the upbeat Cement Mixer, and the laidback Fallin' in a Hole but the album as a whole is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

Joseph Williams - The Two of Us (2006)

Truth be told, Joseph Williams could release an album of him singing the Greater Manhattan Yellow Pages and I'd probably love it. And while the market does seem to be saturated with covers albums, what's the harm in one more.

The Two of Us refers to Joseph's voice and the piano that accompanies him on every song. There's no drums, no guitars-- these interpretations are laid bare which allows the listener to fully appreciate Joseph's golden tenor vocals.

Admittedly some of the songs chosen for this album are head scratchers (Aerosmith's Don't Want to Miss a Thing and Celine Dion's Because You Loved Me for example), but the head-scratchers are forgiveable given Joseph's pristine delivery.

While his voice has deepened since his brief tenure in Toto (1986-1989) and he may not have the high range he once did, he does compensate for the loss of his higher range by occassionally sleeping to the depths of his lower register showing he's almost as capable a baritone as he is a tenor.

In all honesty though, there are no real surprises on the album, but this is not the type of album one would rush out and by if he or she were looking for something new or different. This is a celebration of the human voice and the piano, when laid bare there's a beauty in the simplicity of the arrangements that allows Joseph to really show off his vocal strengths.

The highlights include Now and Forever which is at least as good, if not better than Richard Marx's original version, Elton John's Your Song, Boz Scagg's We're All Alone, and the Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody.

On the whole this is that perfect CD for a quiet evening in with that someone special. Beautiful, peaceful, and relaxed music focusing on its delivery. The only real flaw is in the production, there's some feedback and distortion on some songs that should have been caught and fixed before the album's release.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Rest In Peace, Syd
May you find the peace in the afterlife that you had trouble finding in life
Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett
(January 6, 1946-July 7, 2006)

Match Point (2005)

I've never been much of a Woody Allen fan. Other than one or two of his films, I can honestly say I'm not a fan of his work. I decided to give him another chance with Match Point, I figured it's his comedies I don't like, let's see how he does drama.

It's been said that Woody "borrows" heavily on other sources-- books, films, etc. I have no problem with "borrowing" if it is indeed borrowing. But to "borrow" generally implies giving credit to original sources where it is due. I saw no indication of Allen giving any credit to any of the true sources for this film. Maybe it's just me but that sounds more like "plagiarism."

The deeper I got into this movie the more recognizable it became, the plot was taken from Theodore Dreiser's literary classic, An American Tragedy. There were some subtle differences of course-- and it was set in a present day London not an early twenties Upstate New York.

And Allen isn't the first to tell this tale in film-- in the early thirties there was An American Tragedy film, and in the fifties the tale was "modernized" a bit, the names were changed as was the title (A Place In the Sun) but it was essentially the same tale. In addition to "borrowing" the plot from the original book, Allen also "borrowed" the first meeting scene from A Place In the Sun where George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) first meets Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). While Eastman and Vickers first meeting was in a posh study playing billiards, Allen's Match Point featured former tennis pro Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) first meeting Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson) in a posh study playing table tennis.

While the ending was considerably different than the ending of the An American Tragedy and A Place In the Sun, the basic plot structure remained intact-- struggling young lad falls for attractive girl with no prospects, they carry on heated affair, he loses interest and falls for wealthier girl with much better prospects. The other girl contacts him telling him she's pregnant and begs him to do right by her... Drama ensues, Climax, denoumont, etc.

If you truly feel compelled to see this film, I implore you to instead read An American Tragedy. At over 800 pages it may seem unwieldy to some-- and admittedly it does have a rather slow start, but it really picks up after the first fifty pages... Or if you are one who doesn't feel inclined to invest your time in such an expansive tome, I highly recommend the 1951 film classic A Place in the Sun over Allen's recycled and modernized drivel.