Blood, Sweat & Tears: “The Complete Columbia Singles” (2014) CD Review

The Complete Columbia Singles contains thirty-two tracks on two discs, spanning Blood, Sweat & Tears’ time with Columbia, from 1968 to 1976. The first disc is full of the stuff I listened to as a kid, such as “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.” The second disc is the band’s later material, much of it without lead singer David Clayton-Thomas.  Most of this stuff is music I hadn’t heard before, and there’s a reason for that. Over all, it’s not quite as good as the early material, but there are still plenty of tracks on the second disc that are worth listening to. The tracks are presented in chronological order.

“I Can’t Quit Her”

This collection opens with Al Kooper’s “I Can’t Quit Her,” the band’s first single, and one I don’t recall hearing before. It’s a pretty good tune, with a good rhythm. This song is from the band’s first album, when Al Kooper provided lead vocals. The flip side, also written by Al Kooper, begins with silly animal imitations, then bursts open with the horns, and becomes a kind of fun tune. There is some silliness at the end, including more animal sounds.

“You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”

“You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” is one of Blood, Sweat & Tears’ best tunes. This is when the band I listened to growing up really began. It’s when David Clayton-Thomas took over for Al Kooper on lead vocals, and his voice is an important part of this band’s sound. “I’m so glad you came into my life.” This song reached #2 on the Hot 100 chart.

Its flip side is an odd song. It’s titled “Blues – Part II,” but it actually begins as a wild rendition of Cream’s “Sunshine Of Your Love,” then slides into Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful,” before going into its own blues tune. The song has a good raw power. It fades out, but the track continues with a mellow folk-like instrumental.

“Spinning Wheel”

The next single is the band’s most famous song, “Spinning Wheel.” This song still has a great kick to it. I’m really fond of the drums on this track, and those great bursts on horn. This is the single version, and so is shorter than the version I’m familiar with. This version has that odd bit of guitar added, and it fades out at one of my favorite moments of the full-length tune. This song reached #2 on the Billboard chart.

Its flip side, “More And More,” has a fantastic instrumental section that totally excites me.

“And When I Die”

“And When I Die” is a completely delightful song that was a hit for the Blood, Sweat & Tears, reaching #2 on the chart (just as the two prior singles did). This one was written by Laura Nyro. I love the playful nature of this song. “I can swear there ain’t no heaven, but I pray there ain’t no hell.”

“Hi-De-Ho”

Gerry Goffin and Carole King sure have written a lot of great songs, including “Hi-De-Ho,” Blood, Sweat & Tear’s next single. This song has such a great vibe, and is one I’ve always enjoyed. “I’m gonna get me a piece of the sky/Gonna get me some of that old sweet roll.” This single reached #14 on the chart.

“Lucretia Mac Evil” is a lot of fun, due mainly to the horns. The flip side, a reprise of the song, has a great jazzy instrumental section, the horns really driving the song.

“So Long Dixie”

The second disc opens with “So Long Dixie,” the band’s first single after the departure of lead singer David Clayton-Thomas. Replacing him on lead vocals is Jerry Fisher. The song opens in a mellow way, with the focus on the vocals. When it kicks in, it’s an odd mix of pop, jazz and country. This song, written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, reached #44 on the Billboard chart.

The flip side, “Alone,” has some excellent and surprising work on horns, and some funky moments on bass. Its instrumental sections far outshine the vocal sections. I wish this had been released as an instrumental. “Alone” was written by Lou Marini Jr., who also contributed “Song For John.” “Song For John” actually is an instrumental track, but it has a meandering quality that really goes nowhere.

“Inner Crisis”

Another instrumental is “Inner Crisis,” the flip side to “Roller Coaster.” It begins as a solo on keys, and gets a little weird on guitar before the song really kicks in around the two-minute mark. And then it’s a very cool tune with a certain funky edge. It’s a fun jam that is one of the highlights of the second disc. “Inner Crisis” was written by Larry Willis, who also wrote this collection’s final track, another instrumental tune, titled “Heavy Blue.”

“Got To Get You Into My Life”

The Beatles’ “Got To Get You Into My Life” is a perfect song for this band to cover, and they do a really good job with it. It has a great energy, and this single marks the return of David Clayton-Thomas on lead vocals. The flip side is a playful rendition of Randy Newman’s “Naked Man.”

CD Track List

Disc One

1. I Can’t Quit Her
2. House In The Country
3. You’ve Made Me So Very Happy
4. Blues – Part II
5. Spinning Wheel
6. More And More
7. And When I Die
8. Sometimes In Winter
9. Hi-De-Ho
10. The Battle
11. Lucretia Mac Evil
12. Lucretia’s Reprise
13. Go Down Gamblin’
14. Valentine’s Day
15. Lisa, Listen To Me
16. Cowboys And Indians

Disc Two

1. So Long Dixie
2. Alone
3. I Can’t Move No Mountains
4. Velvet
5. Roller Coaster
6. Inner Crisis
7. Save Our Ship
8. Song For John
9. Tell Me That I’m Wrong
10. Rock Reprise
11. Got To Get You Into My Life
12. Naked Man
13. Yesterday’s Music
14. No Show
15. You’re The One 
16. Heavy Blue 

The Complete Columbia Singles was released on January 7, 2014 through Real Gone Music.

Sí Se Puede! (1976/2014 re-issue) CD Review

I’ve been a fan of Los Lobos since I was kid when I (along with everyone else on the planet) heard “Will The Wolf Survive.” It was a great song, and with a sound unlike most of what was heard on the radio at the time. But the band had already been around for like a decade at that point.

The band’s first album was a compilation of various artists, and a tribute to Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. Titled Sí Se Puede, this collection features various vocalists performing with Los Lobos. Most of the songs are in Spanish. But even if you don’t speak Spanish, you’ll likely enjoy this music, as its spirit works through more than simply the lyrics. This is a great collection of tunes, and obviously an important album for Los Lobos fans, especially those interested in the folk roots of the band. This is music of and for the people. And next month it will be released digitally.

By the way, though there is no mention of this anywhere, I’m fairly sure this recording is from the days when Frank Gonzalez was the leader of the band (I’m still trying to find out just exactly when he departed the band, but it certainly sounds like him on harp, and I know for sure he was still with them in 1975).

“De Colores”

“De Colores,” the opening track, begins with a spoken word intro that mixes English and Spanish, over some beautiful playing by Los Lobos. “I wish the people knew how the farm worker lives…so that we can live in equality.” It’s a moving plea, and after he says “Hope for the future,” the tune immediately picks up, and the band is joined by the Santa Isabel School Children’s Choir singing “De Colores.” I’ve always loved this song, but I don’t recall ever hearing this recording before. “Y por eso los grandes amores/De muchos colores me gustan a mi.” It’s a wonderful track to open the album.

Carmen Moreno

“De Colores” is followed by a fun, positive, peppy tune titled “Huelga En General.” This track features some wonderful vocals by Carmen Moreno. This song has such a great spirit. “Viva la revolucion!/Viva nuestra asociacion!/Viva Huelga en General!”

Carmen Moreno also provides some excellent vocals on the gorgeous “Sangre Antigua,” one of this collection’s most powerful tracks.

“Mañana Is Now”

“Mañana Is Now” is the only song on this album that is mainly sung in English. It’s a slower, gorgeous tune, its beauty due in large part to Geree Gonzalez’s vocal performance. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “For too many years we have toiled/In the fields of Northern California/For too long those crops have controlled us/Oh, but we've worked on our knees too long/Yes, we've been on our knees too long.” Also joining Los Lobos on this track is Tierra, another band based in east Los Angeles.

“Telingo Lingo” is a great, fast-paced delicious gem performed by Los Lobos. This is one of my favorite tracks, and features some wonderful playing.

“Corrido De Dolores Huerta #39”

The album’s title comes from the lyrics of “Corrido De Dolores Huerta #39.” Well, it actually comes from the slogan or motto of the United Farm Workers, but that slogan is in this song’s lyrics: "Esto sera nuestro grito/Sí se puede! Sí se puede!" Dolores Huerta is a labor leader and co-founder (along with Cesar Chavez) of the National Farmworkers Association, and the song tells her story.

“No Nos Moveran”

This collection’s final track, “No Nos Moveran,” begins with a steady hand clap, as if taking place at a march. There is then a call and response done briefly a cappella before the song kicks in. And soon you’ll find yourself singing along with the response, “No nos moveran.” The music reminds me a bit of The Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” (in the rhythm).

CD Track List

1. De Colores
2. Huelga En General
3. Yo Estoy Con Chavez
4. Mujeres Valientes
5. Mañana Is Now
6. Telingo Lingo
7. Corrido De Dolores Huerta #39
8. Chicanita De Aztlan
9. Sangre Antigua
10. No Nos Moveran

Sí Se Puede! is scheduled to be released digitally on March 11, 2014 through Concord Music Group.

Bettye Swann: “The Complete Atlantic Recordings” (2014) CD Review

Bettye Swann has a great voice, one that is perfect at expressing hurt and ache and hope. She began her recording career in the mid-1960s, recording for Money, where she had a hit with “Make Me Yours,” and then for Capitol Records, where she had a hit with “Don’t Touch Me.” She then signed with Atlantic. Bettye Swann’s The Complete Atlantic Recordings are tracks recorded in the early to mid-1970s, several of which were previously unreleased. These were all singles, as she didn’t cut an LP for Atlantic. There are some excellent tracks in this collection. And though it’s Bettye’s voice that really drives these songs, there are also some great backing vocals, giving these tunes a slightly more joyous feel. (For example, listen to “I’m Not That Easy To Lose.”) The tracks are presented in basically chronological order by recording date. Bettye Swann quit the music business in 1980 (though she came back to perform once in 2013).

“Victim Of A Foolish Heart”

The first thing that strikes me when listening “Victim Of A Foolish Heart,” this collection’s opening track, is that Bettye Swann has a beautiful voice. There is a sweetness to her vocals, but also heartache. In this song she urges her love to stay away from his ex who has returned to get him back. “Don’t be the victim of a foolish heart/Don’t let her lies get next to you/She’s just trying to tear us apart/She’s trying to make me her victim too.” There is a great, brief instrumental moment toward the end, with a wonderful cry from the horn. This was the first single she released on Atlantic.

The flip side to “Victim Of A Foolish Heart” is actually an even better song. Titled “Cold Day (In Hell),” it builds beautifully, and has a great energy. “There’ll be a cold day in hell when I stop loving you.” These two tracks were recorded in March of 1972.

“I’d Rather Go Blind”

Bettye Swann’s next single yielded the absolutely wonderful “I’d Rather Go Blind,” one of my favorite tracks in this collection. You completely believe her when she sings, “I’d rather go blind than to see you walk away from me.” Interestingly, this was the flip side. The A side is “Today I Started Loving You Again,” a song co-written by Merle Haggard, who released his own version on The Fightin’ Side Of Me in 1970.  These two tracks were recorded in the fall of 1972 and released as a single in 1973. The single reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #26 on the R&B chart.

“Yours Until Tomorrow”

Another excellent rack is her rendition of the Goffin/King tune “Yours Until Tomorrow.” Listen to the incredible emotion in her voice as she sings, “My heart is overflowing with emotions I just can’t control/I know there’s someone that you’re bound to/But tonight I just can’t tell right from wrong/So let me be yours until tomorrow.”

“The Boy Next Door”

Things turn funkier with her 1974 single, “The Boy Next Door.” There is something a bit tougher about her vocals on this one, and something brighter in the overall sound. It’s a more fun track, written by Phil Hurtt and Tony Bell. I’m surprised that it reached only #71 on the R&B chart. Its flip side, “Kiss My Love Goodbye,” is a really good tune, also written by Hurtt and Bell.

“All The Way In Or All The Way Out”

One of the CD’s best tracks is “All The Way In Or All The Way Out.” Bettye Swann’s vocal performance is perfect, and you know she’s telling the truth when she sings, “I know love/I know what love is all about/And you’re all the way in or all the way out.” There is experience and pain in her voice, but also a positive aspect. This is the voice of someone who is not giving up. She is all the way in.

Its flip side, “Doin’ For The One I Love,” is probably the most fun and happy of the songs presented here. It definitely brings a smile to my face every time I listen to it. How did this single reach only to #83 on the R&B chart? That’s crazy.

Previously Unreleased Tracks

This CD contains several previously unreleased tracks, including “I Feel The Feeling,” which is kind of a fun tune, and “Either You Love Me Or You Leave Me,” a slower tune about a woman who is hurt and needs her man to make a choice.

In her rendition of “This Old Heart Of Mine,” she includes a spoken word intro about the song, and why she decided to record a slower version. "Is there anybody out there tonight that ever really took the time to listen to the lyric of this once-big hit song? Well, recently I did, and was so moved by it that I'd like to slow it down and let you hear what I felt." The Isley Brothers had a hit with this one in 1966. 

The unreleased tracks also include a really good, powerful rendition of “Suspicious Minds,” the song Elvis Presley made a hit. Bettye Swann's version has a great vibe. “The Jealous Kind” also has a good feel about it, with a bit of country.

CD Track List

1. Victim Of A Foolish Heart
2. Cold Day (In Hell)
3. I’d Rather Go Blind
4. Today I Started Loving You Again
5. Yours Until Tomorrow
6. I’m Not That Easy To Lose
7. Till I Get It Right
8. The Boy Next Door
9. Kiss My Love Goodbye
10. Time To Say Goodbye
11. When The Game Is Played On You
12. All The Way In Or All The Way Out
13. Doin’ For The One I Love
14. I Feel The Feeling
15. Either You Love Me Or You Leave Me
16. This Old Heart Of Mine
17. Suspicious Minds
18. I Want Sunday Back Again
19. The Jealous Kind
20. Heading In The Wrong Direction
21. Be Strong Enough To Hold On
22. Storybook Children
23. Just As Sure 

The Complete Atlantic Recordings was released on January 7, 2014 through Real Gone Music.

The Howlin’ Brothers: “The Sun Studio Session” (2013) CD Review

Ever since I first put Howl into my CD player a year ago, I haven’t been able to get my fill of The Howlin’ Brothers. They quickly became one of my favorite bands. Their most recent release, The Sun Studio Session, is an EP that was recorded on May 17, 2013 at Sun Studio in Memphis, and features six great tracks.

The CD opens appropriately enough with a cover of “Dixie Fried,” a Carl Perkins song that was released as a single on Sun Records in 1956. It was written by Howard Griffin and Carl Lee Perkins. The Howlin’ Brothers deliver a groovy back-porch folk version of the rock and roll tune, but with a vocal performance somewhat reminiscent of early Perkins. It’s a lot of fun.

“Til I Find You” is a song I absolutely love. Another version of this tune was included on Long Hard Year, and it was one of my favorites from that release. This is a sweet tune with some nice work on harmonica during the instrumental section. It has the feel of a great traditional tune, but is an original song written by Ian Craft. “I cried like rain into the sea/The waves will wash her home to me.”

“Troubled Waltz” has a somewhat darker, slower, brooding tone that is wonderful. This one begins, “I’m troubled, I’m troubled, I’m troubled all the time/Troubled in the morning, and I’m troubled at night.” I love this line: “If I make you cry, I don’t mean no harm.” They do some interesting things with the vocals on this one, particularly the way the backing vocals mix and interact with lead vocals at certain moments.

“Take Me Down” is counted off at the beginning, and I appreciate that bit of studio chatter. This song has a cool bluesy vibe, which works to make you feel damn good. “She makes me feel so good I might stay with her the rest of my life.” Absolutely.

“Charleston Chew” is one of those fun dance tunes dominated by fiddle. The fiddle kicks off the tune.  Grab a partner, and hit the floor. Or, if you’re alone, grab a beer and spin yourself around – just don’t spill your drink, because that would be sad.

The Sun Studio Session EP concludes with “Tennessee Blues,” a wonderful slow song. A version of this tune was included on Howl. The version here has more of a raw, loose feel to it, which is great. I love the combination of piano and fiddle in the instrumental section. There is a bit of studio banter at the end.

CD Track List

1. Dixie Fried
2. Til I Find You
3. Troubled Waltz
4. Take Me Down
5. Charleston Chew
6. Tennessee Blues

The Sun Studio Session was released on October 15, 2013, and is available on CD and as a digital download.