|
|||
KOCH/DRG
KAREN AKERS/Simply Styne: Those of us that know classic American songs think that Jule Styne should be getting as much attention as Cole Porter and Akers makes a grand move in that direction here. Like a true cabaret artist, sometimes her records can be work to listen to. With a Styne program to work with, she’s doing the work, we’re having the fun. A great writer and craftsman that cowrote with all the best, this is a smashing set. She has a real feel and appreciation for the material and gives his works a wonderful setting. Proof there’s still plenty of life in the ol’ classic songbag to be exploited in fine form.
HAPPY HUNTING/1956 original Broadway cast: Lindsay/Crouse, Abe Burrows, Ethel Merman, a couple of memorable songs, and it all didn’t work. A nice footnote set for hard core Broadway fans that remember all the names mentioned and would like a long over due cd version of “Mutual Admiration Society”, casual fans might not even know what we’re talking about here. This is real ‘the show must go on’ stuff.
SHOUT! FACTORY
EMERSON LAKE & PALMER/Love Beach: Essentially, this was the album that brought down the curtain on the first phase of ELP. Disco has kicked prog to the curb, they just came off a tour that was financially pissy and this was the last album left on their contract. The label was telling them what to do. They were stars and chaffed and this is the result. Certainly a must have for completists, this has some majestic work, some clunkers and their ill fated nod toward disco. How does it stack up today? Well, it’s a sure bet for completists. The one thing that has stood the test of time is their antipathy toward the whole thing but they didn’t let it degrade their chops. Hey it was over 30 years ago, what are you going to do?
EMERSON LAKE & PALMER/Black Moon: With JVC jealous over Sony’s incursion into the record biz, they decided to cut the crap already with audiophile jazz and make a big splash by resurrecting English rockers that were in more than decline. This set the stage for ELP’s last hurrah. While there would be a few years of sets after this 1992 comeback (and follow up to “Love Beach”), this was the last of their records you could be really proud of. Showing themselves not immune to the ravages of time, and probably helping set the stage for grunge, ELP soldiered on to one last glory lap with a set that reset post punk tongues to prattle about dinosaurs. It’s still a keeper for prog fans no matter what.
Volume 31/Number 203
May 21, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI