Rock and Roll Reminiscing - JJJJ

Tour2ma · March 2003

Rock and Roll Reminiscing

17 March, 2003 --- Letter Of The Week is J

For what this is about and some guidelines please click on the following link:

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7234

Yes, its a long post, but please read, if you participate.

This week we are only discussing artists whose last name, and groups whose name begin with the letter J.

Note: The word The doesnt count, so for example The Allman Brothers Band belongs in the "A's" discussion and not in the Ts (guideline #5).

When possible, please supply complete title, format, company, year and catalog number when posting recordings.

And so our 26-week odyssey continues

Hope you come along for the ride

Now, lets celebrate the end of week I

F1nut · March 2003

JANIS JOPLIN - PEARL
1993 Columbia/Sony Mastersound 480415 2 Gold CD

"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."

Oh Lord, what a voice! The lady could belt out a tune like no other. She died before the album was finished, but had laid down the vocals for all but one song, "Buried Alive In The Blues." A classic blues/rock ablum that should be in everyones collection.

shack · March 2003

I would review the James Gang albums, but with his sig. I'll leave that to Tour.

Tour2ma · March 2003

Shack,
You are a kind and thoughtful man and shall surely be rewarded throughout eternity. I accept your invitation, but due to schedule conflicts can only bookmark this space for the moment.

So y'all prepare yourselves for possibly the longest "Edit" in the history of the Club.

shack · March 2003

A true classic:

Jethro Tull - Aqualung - 1971 - this is actually their 4th album but in my mind the best of all and the album that put them on the map. This is the first group I'm aware of that used a flute in R&R. Of course everyone at the time thought that Ian Anderson was Jethro Tull...but it was just a name of a historical figure. "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary", "My God", "Hymn 43" and "Locomotive Breath" are all memorable cuts. The imagry is not necessarily something you want your kids to hear (I can hear my daughters now...You don't want us listening to XXXXX and you listened to that......!). There are those that say this music doesn't hold up well today. Yes...the lyrics are definitely not PC but the music is still good. You have to get the remastered version of this one. The first CD I owned was terrible but the later Capital/EMI is very good.

Thick As A Brick - 1972 - a single piece of work on the entire album. Second only to Aqualung. When I picked up my first copy of this one back in the early 80s it sounded terrible. I assumed that this was because it was probably the first time I had listened to this album in a "non-altered" state of mind. This was always a favorite to sit back and "crash" to. However, I found out that much like Aqualung the problem was the bad recording. The later version was sonically 100% better. This one is a little tougher to say that it still holds up today but you either like it or you don't. It is etched deep in some part of my brain so I still like it.

Benefit - 1970 - the pedecessor to Aqualung was a pretty good album. "Teacher" is probably the best cut from the album and received the most airplay.

Passion Play -1973 and Minstrel In The Gallery - 1975 continued in the Thick As A Brick vein but I never really cared for them much.

mhw58 · March 2003

Elton John had an incredible run of great albums in the early
70's: Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water,
Honky Chateau, Don't shoot me I'm only the Piano player
and peaking with the great Goodbye Yellow brick road.
I'll never forget hearing Funeral For a Friend/Loves Lies
Bleeding for the first time. I also liked Caribou and Captain
Fantastic but the earlier albums were magic. Elton has remastered his cd's and they sound great.
I highly recommend the Goodbye yellow brick road cd for
starters and Tumbleweed conncection is still a favorite.
Mike

shack · March 2003

Billy Joel was one of my favorites during the 70s. I equate him very much with Elton John. Both have a first name for a last name...both were musical story tellers...both are piano players...they both did most of their best stuff in the 70s for the most part...and the first half of their career was far better than the latter half. However, Billy Joel married better! MUCH BETTER!

I dont listen to either one very much lately (although I did get Elton's greatest hits that was released last year for Christmas). I don't know why. I need to get them back out.

Billy Joel - Piano Man - 1973 - this is the one that sticks in my memory. Maybe because it was the first that I listened to and is still one of my favorites. Not very polished but very "real". Of course "Piano Man", "The Ballad of Billy The Kid" and "Captain Jack" are worth the price of the album.

The Stranger" - 1977 - "The Stranger" and "Only The Good Die Young" lead the way on this one. "Just The Way You Are" and " She's Always A Woman" were very sucessful ballads, but I like "Vienna" better.

52nd Street - 1978 - This was a very sucessful album and I tell myself that I should like it...but for some reason I don't rank it among the better Joel albums. Got lots of radio play...but it never hooked me. I guess this is why I haven't bought the SACD.

Glass Houses - 1980 - Now this one I like start to finish. "I May Be Right" starts the album with "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me" and "Sleeping With The Television On" strong in the middle and finishing up with "Close To The Boarderline" (a nice rocker). I think I like this one better than 52nd Street because it has a harder edge and rocks more. 52nd Street seems to be too....."pop".

I liked some of The Nylon Curtain with cuts like "Allentown" and "Pressure" but lost interest and never really listened to An Innocent Man and The Bridge. The late 80s was pretty much a dead period for me musically with young children and career pressures and such.

Since mhw58 has already covered Elton John I will just rank my favorites (we obviously think alike):

1st (tie) - Elton John - 1970 and Goodbye Yellowbrick Road - 1973
3rd - Tumbleweed Connection - 1971
4th Madman Across The Water - 1970
5th Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy -1975

After these there is very little that I really like of his work. He became more of a "Showman" and less of a muscian IMHO.

There was one more album in the mid 70's that he did with Kiki Dee who sang backup on several of his albums. It had the hit "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". I had this one on 8-track. There were several other song on the album but I can't find any real record or information on the album. Maybe it was just a compilation or bootleg put out on 8-track.

Paul Connor · March 2003

Shack,

I think "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was released as a single. However, I also had it on an 8-track, but cannot remember what is was either.

You listed my favorites by Elton, but I would also like to add Honky Chateau. The song"Suzie" may be my favorite track.

abmarsh · March 2003

Journey was a great band. They were accused of being "corporate-rockers", but they sure wrote some great songs.

I've been a James Gang and Jethro Tull fan for longer than I care to admit.

Judas Priest - "Hell Bent for Leather", "British Steel", "Screaming for Vengeance", "Defenders of the Faith", "Point of Entry" - all good stuff.

mhw58 · March 2003

Jefferson Airplane was great in the 60's, check out Surrealistic
Pillow for starters. They had some good songs as Jefferson
Starship but I like the Airplane better. Grace could wail in her
early days.
Also Etta James is a great singer. I have a greatest hits
cd by her and it's great.
Mike

joe6pak · March 2003

Joplin, Tull, James Gang, Journey, Billy Joel, Airplane, and Elton. All good. Way before them was this little surfing duo.

Jan & Dean

Surf City, Dead Man's Curve, and my fav, Little Old Lady From Pasadena. You old farts remember these and more. These guys worked with the Beach Boys, especially in the early years. Surf City was a Brian Wilson song that he gave to Jan to complete. Brian sang with them when they recorded that #1 hit. Ahh, Sweet summer surf music. Hot rods & hot cuties.

Tommy James & The Shondells.

Crimson & Clover, Mony Mony, Hanky Panky and I think We're Alone Now, are the biggest hits.

abmarsh

Judas Priest was another good call. i bet heavyismymetal will chime in on this one.

Shack

I was going to do this guy, but decided to pass in order to give you the honor:

Tom Jones...........

joe

F1nut · March 2003

J. GEILS BAND (Ain't Nothin' But A House Party!!!)

FULL HOUSE "LIVE" - 1972 Atlantic SD 7241 Vinyl

BLOODSHOT - 1973 Atlantic SD 7260 Vinyl

FREEZE FRAME - 1981 EMI SOO-17062 Vinyl

With J. Geils on guitar, Peter Wolf singing and Magic Dick working the harp. These guys were what RnR was all about, especially live, where no one sat and everyone boogied....HIGH energy.

joe,
Good call on Tommy James & The Shondells. I'll add a few songs, Sweet Cherry Wine and CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION. From the inner cover of The Best Of, "In the past year they have sold over 6 million records in the United States alone." No small feat, even today.

Tour2ma · March 2003

Good stuff so far guys

Originally posted by shack
A true classic:Jethro Tull - Aqualung - 1971
Thick As A Brick - 1972
Benefit - 1970
Passion Play -1973

Big thumbs up here. I actually like Passion Play very much. The only essential Tull not rep'd in your list Shack, is "Living in the Past", which does not seem to appear on any of their individual albums. There was a dbl album of the same name, but it was an early and excellent compilation. Perhaps it was an original for this issue.

Along the line of Tull compilations in addition to Living in the Past, Original Masters is an excellent one. It has the studio versions of most of the great songs.
However, do not buy 20 Years of.... It subs in "live" versions for many of the best tracks, includes a great deal of B material and just doesn't measure up.

Originally posted by mhw58
Elton John had an incredible run of great albums in the early
70's... I highly recommend the Goodbye yellow brick road cd for
starters and Tumbleweed conncection is still a favorite.
Mike

Yup great list here. You cant mention EJ without a nod to Bernie Taupin though. Bernie wrote the poems/ lyrics; Elton added the music. The combination was an enormously prolific songwriting team. Since we seem to be sighting favorite EJs.. gotta go with Honky Chateau here as my #1, but its hard to make a bad choice out of his first dozen or so albums.

And last of the recaps:

Originally posted by shack
Billy Joel was one of my favorites during the 70s
Piano Man - 1973 -
The Stranger - 1977
52nd Street - 1978
Glass Houses - 1980 -
The Nylon Curtain

I am a huge Billy J fan. In all I own 5 CDs and more on vinyl. My personal fav is The Stranger; Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is just brilliant IMO. One of the best examples of story-telling in song I have ever heard.

I saw him during his "Nylon Curtain" tour right after the Challenger tragedy. Cast a bit of a shadow on his H-town stop, but an Astronaut who played sax actually accompanied Bill on "Just the Way You Are", which Billy had stopped performing a couple years prior. A real, bittersweet treat in the midst of one of the hardest rocking concerts Ive attended since my college days

One title missing from your list is Songs in the Attic (1981). This is a unique album as it was his if I could do these songs over, this is how Id do them treatment of a collection of tunes with which he never quite got comfortable arranging when he initially recorded them. Interesting contrasts abound; some are better; some are not.
Id also like to make a small pitch for River of Dreams. He chucked his old band and went to the islands to record this CD. It is not its best work, and in many ways it ended up sounding like old Billy, but again it was an interesting effort and quite listenable.

Damn this is already a long post, but that never stopped me before so with a second nod of thanks to Shack, I give you
James Gang
Yer Album Vinyl (1969 ABC/ Dunhill ABCS 688)
Rides Again Vinyl/ CD (1970 MCA MCA-37111)
Thirds Vinyl reissue (1971 ABC/ Pickwick SPC-3770)
15 Greatest Hits CD (1973 MCA MCAD-6012)
Probably the best group ever to come out of Cleveland, OH, the Rock and Roll capitol of the world, in case you didnt know well actually more like Akron, Canton area, but close enough. The 6 waterfall in the background on the cover of Yer Album is Cuyahoga Falls, not exactly Niagara or Angel Falls, but

While a session player or two might have joined the core group for recording, in essence the James Gang was a stripped down, power rock trio long before ZZ Top came to fame (actually they only beat ZZ by a year). James Gang was Joe Walsh (guitar, vocals), Tom Kriss (bass) and Jim Fox (drums). These are the first albums I ever owned that stated in one fashion or another that they were meant to be played LOUD! And how true that was and is

Yer Album is an above average debut. Best tracks on it are covers, e.g., Steven Stills Bluebird and The Yardbirds Lost Woman. But, in my totally biased opinion, there is so much foreshadowing of the great stuff to come, both from the Gang and Joe, that it is worthy of owning. An example is Joes Take A Look Around, a bit of a Stills rip, but could fit right in with Joes later solo stuff. And Funk #48 sets the stage for their next effort.

James Gang Rides Again is a flat out, great album. Side One is a greatest album side contender. So lets get this out of the way, cause you can see it coming anyway, and not just cause I boldfaced it HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Right off the bat the multi-tracked and over echoed Funk #49 grabs you, then Asshtonpark lulls you a bit before the bass intro to Woman reels you in for good. Lastly, the two-part, The Bomber: Closet Queen/ Cast Your Fate to the Wind takes it home. And youve still got a side to go and with two tracks that actually could improve side 1, it aint filler.

Thirds was Joes last studio outing with the Gang. And it sparkles as well. Walk Away may be the quintessential JG track. It got the most airplay of any single they released and marks the real rooting of Joes signature wah-ka wah riff. Midnight Man and Live My Life Again are the two other very strong tracks here. But all the rest is good.

There was a live album that followed Thirds, but I dont own it (yet)

If you know Joe, but dont know the Gang, try 15 Greatest Hits. It has all the essential stuff. And while the ordering is far from being either chronological or faithful to the ordering of the albums, it works.

Tour2ma · March 2003

Man, I turn my back for a couple hours to craft my homage to some fellow Buckeyes and up pop a couple other quality contributions.

Originally posted by joe6pak Jan & Dean
Surf City, Dead Man's Curve, and my fav, Little Old Lady From Pasadena. You old farts remember these and more.
Tommy James & The Shondells.
Crimson & Clover, Mony Mony, Hanky Panky and I think We're Alone Now, are the biggest hits.
joe

Ditto on Jan and Dean, Joe, but I gotta go with Tommy James here. Rhino records remastered their hits and its sound quality is nothing short of stunning. Crystal Blue Persuasion absolutely shimmers. It may be the best remastering job I have ever heard.

Originally posted by F1nut
J. GEILS BAND (Ain't Nothin' But A House Party!!!)
FULL HOUSE "LIVE" - 1972 Atlantic SD 7241 Vinyl
BLOODSHOT - 1973 Atlantic SD 7260 Vinyl
FREEZE FRAME - 1981 EMI SOO-17062 Vinyl
With J. Geils on guitar, Peter Wolf singing and Magic Dick working the harp. These guys were what RnR was all about, especially live, where no one sat and everyone boogied....HIGH energy.

Great call on J Geils F1. Ive heard them described as the ultimate party band, and its hard to argue agin it. Their Best of compilation, Flashback is a great choice for the budget minded sampler. It plus their live release you list may be all thats needed. I saw them live once, and they worked their collective Asses of entertaining me and about 15,000 close friends.

Aw, WTH Im going to do another one
Pretty women walking with gorillas down my street
Is she really going out with him? Is she really going to take him home tonight? Is she really going out with him? Cause if my eyes dont deceive me, theres something goin wrong around here
This song was my, and probably your, introduction to Mr.
Joe Jackson
.Look Sharp! Vinyl (1979 A&M SP4743)
Night and Day Vinyl (1982 A&M SP-4906)
Body and Soul Vinyl (1984 A&M SP-5000)
Big World Vinyl (1986 A&M SP6021)
Greatest Hits CD (1996 A&M 31454 0524 2)
Joe hooked me with Is She Really Going Our With Him and rehooked me about every other year for 8 years. The only artist I know in all of Rock-dom who transformed himself as much as Joe was Bowie, and Im not sure David comes all that close

.Look Sharp was punk. Joe was punk. His haircut was punk. His attitude was punk. His music was punk. But it was accessible punk akin to that of The Clash. This album is loaded with listenable punk, Is She Really, Look Sharp!, Sunday Papers (GREAT TRACK THERE), and on. The next couple releases were kind of the same, but not really, then he went swing band with Jumpin Jive until two years later

Night and Day brings us the crooner Joe. Steppin Out, Another World, Breaking Us In Two, T.V. Age and A Slow Song are all orchestrated, lush and damn good. WTH and whats next? Well its

Body and Soul and now, with horn section added, were taken to the full big band Joe with a touch of funk thrown in for good measure, and it works, too. This album was not recoded in the studio, but in a Masonic Hall next door to the old Vanguard Studios. And the acoustics of this old building add warmth to these tracks that an engineer cant. You Cant Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) is a great track and Be My Number Two is an out and out love song with both, in order, feeling and power. Then, both last and least, Joe attempts to take us on a musical lap around this

Big World is an ambitious undertaking that has, unfortunately, as many misses as hits, but I admire the effort. And this release is noteworthy for at least one thing It is the only three-sided vinyl release I know of. Thats right, its a double album with one-side completely blank

...I guess the world was not quite big enough for four sides

You can try Greatest Hits for a taste, all Joes phases are represented, but it does not do him justice and chances are you may not like some of them. A double CD compilation, This Is It! The A&M Years is available, but if I would you Id get .Look Sharp and start the journey from its beginning. Me? I have a few years gaps to fill starting with 1980.

joe6pak · March 2003

F1nut & Tour.

You guys got it right. Crystal Blue Persuasion. I left that off the list of hit songs by Tommy James on purpose. I was just performing a test to see if anyone would notice. You both passed!

How about this crowd pleaser:

Michael Jackson.

He has the top selling album of all time, "Thriller." I don't have any of his work. I will say this, the guy has talent. He can sing and dance with the best of them. To bad all that is wasted on such a _______ and _____. You fill in the blanks.

Joan Jett.

She is kinda fun to watch.
"I Love Rock-N-Roll."

joe

F1nut · March 2003

joe,

Whew......glad we passed.

I'll add to the Joe Jackson list.

WILL POWER 1987 A&M CD-3908 (CD)

Jackson's "Symphony" with full orchestra and various electric instruments. IMHO, his crowning glory.

Tour2ma · March 2003

Originally posted by F1nut
joe,
Whew......glad we passed.
I'll add to the Joe Jackson list.
WILL POWER 1987 A&M CD-3908 (CD)
Jackson's "Symphony" with full orchestra and various electric instruments. IMHO, his crowning glory.

Thganks F1 Im all over this JJ add

Joe,
Ill let Joan Jett slide except for saying shes right up there with Suzi Quatro in my book

But Ill also admit to being a fan of both the sisters Jackson, Michael and Janet

In addition to Thriller, Michaels Bad, is still one of the best CDs Ive heard sonically speaking. And with cuts like Man in the Mirror (my favorite), Bad, Smooth Criminal and Dirty Diana (not exactly an homage to Diana Ross), it has good to great tunes as well.

Which brings us to:
Janet Jackson
Control Vinyl (1986 A&M SP-5106)
Rhythm Nation CD (MIA)
Design of a Decade 1986-1996 CD (MIA)
First if you think Janets not rock, you probably havent heard Black Cat off of Rhythm Nation. She wrote it and it rocks

I liked Janet starting with Control, when she was Michaels pudgy lil sis. Its not a great album, but Nasty was the hook and still works for me. Then she hit the workout scene, developed the washboard abs and Oh MY, how she grew up into genuine eye candy.
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf500/f555/f55525cxuox.jpg

I wish Id have caught her Rhythm Nation tour, what ten years ago now??? Tremendous energy based on viewing her HBO specials. Rhythm Nation was a gutsy move. It was a throwback to the 70s concept album style we are so fond of remembering. At least 60% of the release was in this vein anyway. The title track, Miss You Much, Livin in a World and Alright all work in this context. Escapade, Black Cat and Come Back to Me all work outside the concept.

Design of a Decade 1986-1996 is a great compilation of her work and gave us this to boot

Paul Connor · March 2003

Alright guys, I can't believe no one has mentioned Jo Jo Gunn. I have two of their albums. If I remember right this was Jay Ferguson's band from about 70-74. Any technicolor?

Tour2ma · March 2003

Your right Paul, just haven't gotten to my C-90's yet. I even wrote up Jay back in the "F's"...

Jumpin' the Gunn was a decent listen...

danger boy · March 2003

Originally posted by abmarsh
Journey was a great band. They were accused of being "corporate-rockers", but they sure wrote some great songs.

I've been a James Gang and Jethro Tull fan for longer than I care to admit.

Judas Priest - "Hell Bent for Leather", "British Steel", "Screaming for Vengeance", "Defenders of the Faith", "Point of Entry" - all good stuff.

i like two of the three mentioned above.. Journey and Judas Priest were my favorite bands in high school.

avelanchefan · March 2003

How about Jenna Jamison?

OOps wrong thread...lol:D

**Rock and Roll Reminiscing - JJJJ**

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Rock and Roll Reminiscing - JJJJ