"Lighthouse/Suite Feeling/Peacing It All Together" by LIGHTHOUSE (May 2017 Beat Goes On 2CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT 1970... - Exceptional CD Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...Peace And Love..."

Canada's LIGHTHOUSE are the very definition of a bargain-bin band - at least the first part of their career on RCA Records is.

When I worked for Reckless Records in London's Islington and Soho's Berwick Street (20 years of buying and selling rarities) - UK copies of their second and third platters - 1969's "Suite Feeling" and 1970's "Peacing It All Together" was strictly a no-no. I used to see copies of the 1969 debut "Lighthouse" too with its silver-foil cover in charity shops - but it elicited little interest (the debut was American and Canadian only). Toronto's finest pushed out two further LPs on Vertigo in the UK (Evolution in the USA) - "One Fine Morning" in October 1971 on Vertigo 6342 010 and "Thoughts Of Movin' On" in April 1972 on Vertigo 6342 011 - but in my opinion they're only sought after because 'everything' on that most Prog of spiral labels is.

A 13-piece ensemble that started out on a brassy Rock tip with some Psych and Fusion flourishes thrown in - but then went all Association and Harper's Bizarre drippy Pop - the Lighthouse sound was both hard to nail down and market. In their initial Jazz-Rock phase - to help them along their Fusion way none other than an aged but still dapper Duke Ellington introduced the group in May 1969 at Toronto's Rock Pile club. But even his legendary presence and the support of Woodstock Folk-Soul hero Richie Havens failed to ignite sales and they struggled to feed those thirteen gaping mouths and hungry wattage. And unfortunately given some of the musical evidence presented here (even though the new remasters sound fab) – it's not too difficult to hear why the public weren't really bothered.

Well here comes England's Beat Goes On Records and the determined Kaftan-wearing Aztec-spaceship moustaches within their British ranks want us to reconsider Lighthouse's musical legacy - that amidst the poor man's Blood, Sweat & Tears and Jefferson Airplane soundscapes is some great fusion Rock and the occasional hooky groove. And there is actually - but I'm afraid the direness of the 3rd album kind of takes the discovery thrill out of the first two. Here are the enlightening details...

UK released 12 May 2017 - "Lighthouse/Suite Feeling/Peacing It All Together" by LIGHTHOUSE on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1281 (Barcode 5017261212818) offers 3LPs newly-remastered onto 2CDs (two from 1969 and one from 1970). It plays out as follows...

Disc 1 (66:29 minutes):

1. Mountain Man [Side 1]

2. If There Ever Was A Time

3. No Opportunity Necessary

4. Never Say Goodbye

5. Follow The Stars

6. Whatever Forever [Side 2]

7. Eight Miles High

8. Marsha, Marsha

9. Ah I Can Feel It

10. Life Can Be So Simple

Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut album "Lighthouse" - released USA and Canada June 1969 on RCA Victor LSP-4173. Produced by SKIP PROKOP and PAUL HOFFERT - it didn't chart.

11. Chest Fever [Side 1]

12. Feel So Good

13. Places On Faces Four Blue Carpet Traces

14. Could You Be Concerned

Tracks 11 to 14 are Side 1 of their second studio album "Suite Feeling" - released November 1969 in the USA and Canada on RCA Victor LSP-4241 and in the UK on RCA Victor SF 8103. Produced by SKIP PROKOP and PAUL HOFFERT - it didn't chart.

Disc 2 (59:11 minutes):

1. Presents Of Presence [Side 2]

2. Talking A Walk

3. Eight Loaves Of Bread

4. What Sense

5. A Day In The Life

Tracks 1 to 5 are Side 2 of their second studio album "Suite Feeling" - released November 1969 in the USA and Canada on RCA Victor LSP-4241 and in the UK on RCA Victor SF 8103. Produced by SKIP PROKOP and PAUL HOFFERT - it didn't chart.

6. Nam Myoho Renge' Kyo/Let The Happiness Begin [Side 1]

7. Every Day I Am Reminded

8. The Country Song

9. Sausalito

10. The Fiction Of Twenty-Six Million

11. The Chant (Nam Myoho Renge' Kyo)

12. Mr. Candleman [Side 2]

13. On My Way To L.A.

14. Daughters And Sons

15. Just A Little More Time

16. Little People/Nam Myoho Renge' Kyo

Tracks 6 to 16 are their third studio album "Peacing It All Together" - released May 1970 in the USA and Canada on RCA Victor LSP-4325 and in the UK on RCA Victor SF 8121. Produced by MIKE LIPSKIN, SKIP PROKOP and PAUL HOFFERT - it peaked at No. 133 on the US LP charts (didn't chart UK).

LIGHTHOUSE was:

SKIP PROKOP - Drums and Vocals

PAUL HOFFERT - Musical Director. Keyboards and Vibes

RALPH COLE - Guitar and Vocals

GRANT FULLERTON - Bass and Vocals

PINKY DAUVIN – Percussion and Vocals

IAN GUENTHER – Violin

DON DiNOVO – Violin and Viola

DON WHITTON and LESLIE SCHNEIDER – Cello

FREDDY STONE and ARNIE CHYCOSKI – Trumpet and Flugel

HOWARD SHORE – Alto Sax

RUSS LITTLE TROMBONE

There's the usual classy card-slipcase - the 16-page booklet repro's the artwork for the three LPs and has new liner notes from Mojo's Jazz columnist CHARLES WARING who presents both sides of the argument - good and bad. BGO's resident Audio Engineer ANDREW THOMPSON has newly remastered all three LPs and they sound great - punchy and full of life.

The two leading lights in the ensemble were Drummer/Singer Ron 'Skip' Prokop and Keyboardist/Vibes player Paul Hoffert who wrote most of the tunes and co-produced all three records. Side 1 highlights of the debut "Lighthouse" are the pretty but slightly overdone "If There Ever Was A Time" with its soothing warbling guitar and nice lurve-song melody. Better than the frantic "No Opportunity Necessary" and the pastoral ELO cellos of the sappy "Never Say Goodbye" is the Side 1 finisher "Follow The Stars" which suddenly feels like something magical is happening. There is an epic Byrds-vibe to the song – all brass lines, clever cellos and flanged vocals – very cool and interesting. Side 2 gets neck jerking groovy with the Brass and Organ dancer that is "Whatever Forever" which in turn is quickly followed by a very complimentary fuzzed-guitar cover of the Byrds Psych classic "Eight Miles High". RCA UK tried it as an only-45 off the album in October 1969 – tucked away as the B-side to the more commercial "If There Ever Was A Time" on RCA 1884 - but it did no business. Guitarist Ralph Cole suddenly discovers his inner Cream and Hendrix with the excellent "Marsha, Marsha" – a "Born Under A Bad Sign" Rock-Blues tune with added clever moments of brass melody and vocal harmonies that take you by total surprise and make you think we may have missed something Psych-brill here. There is a very Neil Young simplicity to "Ah I Can Feel It" as a lone-guitar strums before brass, strings and voices take the song into ‘Lighthouse’ and ‘Stonehouse’ ensemble territory. And they sound like B, S & T and The Association have had a Woodstock love child on the Side 2 finisher "Life Can Be So Simple" – an accomplished Pop song that half way through unleashes a properly wild Garage guitar-solo worthy of any Nuggets Box Set.

Despite some good fuzz guitar in "Chest Fever" - the opener for "Suite Feeling" is pretty awful and the everyone's smiling peaceful vibrations of "Feel So Good" comes over as the kind of song that hippy teenagers would have played their uptight parents in 1969/1970 (get with it Mom and Pop). Better is the funky and adventurous "Places On Faces Four Blue Carpet Traces" - a near eleven-minute Brass and Drums instrumental that is similar to in structure to the longer stretches on Chicago's "Chicago Transit Authority" debut in 1969. Trumpets compete for your attention with an organ - then about five-minutes in you get a clever Vibes solo that feels like some Avant Garde Atlantic Jazz album as it builds and builds with strings and more brass and ends on a huge fuzz-guitar solo (easily their technically most accomplished piece of writing so far). "Could You Be Concerned" taps into that "Hair Musical" message - as does the very Jefferson Airplane "Presents Of Presence". We get the sermon on the mount with the cheesy "Eight Loaves Of Bread" while the coy and poppy flute and piano bop of "What Sense" is likely to elicit laughter nowadays and not for the right reasons. They end a patchy album with a six-minute cover of The Beatles "Sgt. Peppers" classic "A Day In The Life" but it feels like a frantic brass and strings butchery rather than a compliment.

The third LP is probably the worst - a record that hasn't weathered well at all. A refrain precedes "Let The Happiness Begin" - a full on Association meets The Mama's and The Papa's happy-wappy jaunt that is cringing rather than touching. Even the honest words of "Every Day I Am Reminded" can't save it from a wall of voices that make it sound like the kind of pastiche a TV program would use to slag off the excesses of the Sixties. The fiddling "Country Song" is awful and the 'come with me to the sea' pap of "Sausalito" is 1967 and not 1970. And on it goes to the busy and frankly annoying "On My Way To L.A." and the clinging "Daughters And Sons".

To sum up - the first LP is very good and the second is an improvement in places especially the stunning eleven-minute Fusion-Rock instrumental "Places On Faces Four Blue Carpet Traces" - but that third platter goes direct for the "Hair" audience and feels laboured instead of inspired.

Still - fans of the band and that big brassy Rock Sound should dive in and be thankful that BGO have reissued Lighthouse's legacy with such style...

"Gentle Giant/Acquiring The Taste" by GENTLE GIANT (2012 Beat Goes On 2CD Remasters by Andrew Thompson) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...A Tall Tale..." 

Talk about keeping it in the family – Portsmouth brothers and multi-instrumentalists Derek, Ray and Phil Shulman teamed up with classically trained guitarist Gary Green, keyboard whizz Kerry Minnear and drummer Martin Smith in 1970 to form GENTLE GIANT. Abandoning their Sixties Simon Dupree & The Big Sound pop sensibilities entirely – they powered full tilt into the emerging sound of the day – Progressive Rock. Eleven albums later and England's Prog heroes were still there in 1980 – giving it loads of difficult syncopations and selling bugger all records.

This first double-disc reissue of their extensive back-catalogue put out by England’s reputable Beat Goes On label remasters the South Coast boy’s first two Prog outings at Vertigo in 1970 and 1971 – home of many'd the eye-catching gatefold sleeve. Not dissimilar in style to King Crimson and Yes but without perhaps the same (dare we say it) commerciality – Gentle Giant nonetheless built a steady and fiercely loyal following - and on the evidence presented here you can understand why that affection still endures today. Amazing playing virtuosity - clever classical interludes and layered harmony vocals sat on top of a trademark guitar sound not unlike Robert Fripp enjoying himself - it's all here - sounding and looking great too. Here are the tall tales and the bearded technicalities for their first two steps…

UK released November 2012 – "Gentle Giant/Acquiring The Taste" by GENTLE GIANT on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1095 (Barcode 5017261210951) offers their first two studio albums remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 "Gentle Giant" (37:05 minutes):

1. Giant

2. Funny Ways

3. Alucard

4. Isn't It Quiet And Cold

5. Nothing At All [Side 2] 6. Why Not

7. The Queen

Tracks 1 to 7 are their debut album "Gentle Giant" - released November 1970 in the UK on Vertigo Records 6360 020 (it was not issued in the USA). Produced by TONY VISCONTI.

Disc 2 "Acquiring The Taste" (39:07 minutes):

1. Pantagruel's Nativity

2. Edge Of Twilight

3. The House, The Street, The Room

4. Acquiring The Taste

5. Wreck [Side 2]

6. The Moon s Down

7. Black Cat

8. Plain Truth

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 2nd studio album "Acquiring The Taste" - released July 1971 in the UK on Vertigo Records 6360 041 (not issued in the USA). Produced by TONY VISCONTI.

GENTLE GIANT was:

DEREK SHULMAN - Lead and Backing Vocals (some Bass), Alto Sax, Clavichord and Cowbell

RAY SHULMAN - Bass, Violin, Electric Violin, Viola, Spanish Guitar, 12-String Guitar, Organ Bass Pedals, Skulls, Tambourine Percussion and Backing Vocals

PHIL SHULMAN - Alto and Tenor Sax, Trumpet, Clarinet, Recorder, Piano, Claves, Maracas, Lead and Backing Vocals

KERRY MINNEAR - Electric Piano, Organ, Mellotron, Vibraphone, Moog, Piano, Celeste, Clavichord, Harpsichord, Tympani, Maracas, Bass, Cello, Lead and Backing Vocals and Tuned Percussion

GARY GREEN - Lead Guitar, 6 and 12-String Guitar, Wah-Wah Guitar, Donkey's Jawbone, Cat Calls and Vocals

MARTIN SMITH - Drums, Gongs,Tambourine and Percussion

Guests:

CLAIRE DENIZ - Cello on "Isn't It Quiet And Cold" on the "Gentle Giant" LP

PAUL COSH - Tenor Horn on "Giant" and played Trumpet and Organ on the "Acquiring The Taste" LP

TONY VISCONTI - Recorder, Bass Drum and Triangle on the "Acquiring The Taste" LP

The outer card slipcase gives the release a classy feel (now generic with all BGO releases) while the 16-page booklet is packed with original details (the Tony Visconti 'A Tale Tale' liner notes that graced the inner gatefold of the debut LP) and properly in-depth assessments of the albums and the band by noted writer DAVID WELLS (done in 2012). The final few pages give you the lyrics to both records - all of it centred by a black and white photo of the original six-piece band. ANDREW THOMPSON has carried out the new Remasters at Sound Performance in London and while the 1st LP is undoubtedly hissy in places - both records are full of presence and power - the second album "Acquiring The Taste" in particular shining like a new sixpence (there were mastering issues on the first run of these CDs but I've experienced none of that in 2016).

Defiant in their musical vision - you're struck at first by their playing - Gentle Giant was an accomplished band right from the off with musical adventure and boundary-breaking forcably built into their DNA. The debut album is ragged around the edges for sure – but it’s mighty in scope and daring. A doomy church organ hisses in for "Giant" and you're in ELP territory before Derek Shulman comes roaring in the vocals like the younger brother of Roger Chapman from Family. Things get really interesting with "Funny Ways" - a fantastic amalgam of beautiful cello, acoustic guitar, electric wah-wah and even a lone brass instrument all combining into a delicate choral rock track - Phil Shulman's lead vocal softer and more suited to the song. "Alucard" (Dracula spelt backwards and a label name used for GG reissues) is proper Prog - huge synth chords - phased vocals - brass jabs and lyrics about 'terror fills my soul' - nice. Side 2 opens with the Emily Bronte Baroque of "Isn't It Quiet And Cold" - whimsy vocals dancing daintily above a violin, harpsichord, cello and timpani plinking. Hardly surprising that the nine-minute "Nothing At All" was chosen as the representative track of the album on the 2005 Vertigo 3CD Box Set "Time Machine" (see separate review) - it's stunning - beautiful - surprising and the playing/arrangements are so damn accomplished like Yes meets Jethro Tull by way of Family (the Bass and that ever-present Acoustic Guitar

are particularly sweet and clear on the remaster). The guitar Prog of "Why Not" is superb too but the mock 'God Save' "The Queen" tests your patience a tad.

If the first album was an announcement and more-than-promising start - the largely improvised 2nd album delivered on that Prog entree. Like "Nothing At All" from the 1st LP - "Pantagruel's Nativity" was chosen as the representative of "Acquiring The Taste" for the "Time Machine" Vertigo Box Set - another near seven minutes of wickedly good mellotron and guitar. Inspired by the French Author Francois Rabelius and his tale of jousting giants 'Gargantua and Pantagruel' - it has fabulous audio especially on this chunky guitars and layered vocals. You're then thrown by the sheer prettiness of "Edge Of Twlight" as sounds flit from speaker to speaker - a pretty Prog ditty as I say but with menace provided by big kettle drums and phased voices. "The House The Street The Room" feels like Family meets Genesis somewhere between 1968's "Music In A Doll's House" and 1970's "Nursery Cryme". The short synth pavane of "Acquiring The Taste" precedes "Wreck" which has an almost catchy Uriah Heap chorus of 'hey yeah'. But for me the album is sealed by the final three - "The Moon Is Down", "Black Cat" and "Plain Truth" - all of which display more clever breaks than you can shake a stick at. At seven and half-minutes and opening with some wicked wah-wah guitar not unlike Hendrix having a doodle on his Strat - the longest of the three "Plain Truth" is very cool Prog indeed and leaves you impressed by an unsung hero of an LP (fans consider ATT a gem).

In the liner notes for "Acquiring The Taste" - GENTLE GIANT collectively stated that their music should be '...unique, adventurous and fascinating...' even '...at the risk of being very unpopular...' Job done boys...

"Indianola Mississippi Seeds" by B. B. KING (1995 Beat Goes On CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Can't Break Loose Of These Chains And Things..."

Eagles Producer Bill Szymczyk first hooked up with B.B. King for the June 1969 "Live And Well" LP on BluesWay – then helmed the superb December 1969 studio album "Completely Well" too. Those two well-received live and studio sets introduced B.B. King classics like "The Thrill Is Gone" and "So Excited" to a new audience (largely white boys digging the Blues) and more importantly helped the legendary Blues Boy break the Billboard album charts after decades of absence - "Live And Well" made No. 56 and "Completely Well" went higher to No. 38.

Meanwhile on his 1969 travels to Cleveland - Bill Szymczyk spots a local band fronted by an amazing guitar player/singer rocking a club. It was The James Gang and the axe maestro was of course Joe Walsh.

Although beloved in the industry for her songwriting genius with Gerry Goffin and her largely unnoticed band work with The City – in 1970 Carole King hadn’t made "Tapestry" yet and wasn’t the household name she would become throughout 1971 and beyond. Oklahoma songwriter and keyboardist Leon Russell had only just released his self-titled debut LP "Leon Russell" in December 1969 on Shelter Records (Joe Cocker would cover "Delta Lady" from it and create a hit – BB King would do "Hummingbird" - also on that album). Soulful backing singer Merry Clayton had famously duetted with Mick Jagger on The Rolling Stones classic "Gimme Shelter" from their classic "Let It Bleed" album in 1969 and was about to emerge into the limelight in 1970 with her own debut album on A&M/Ode 70 Records not surprisingly called "Gimme Shelter” (see review).

The point of this musical history lesson is that B.B. King's 1970 LP "Indianola Mississippi Seeds" (Produced by Bill Szymczyk) brought 'all' of these mercurial talents together for the first time. And I'd argue that in 2016 - it's one of those criminally 'overlooked' albums that shouldn't be. Time to rectify that careless oversight on our part - we children of Alan Freed and a frothing Robert Johnson. Here are the plugged-in watermelon details...

UK released June 1995 (reissued December 2008) – "Indianola Mississippi Seeds" by B.B. KING on Beat Goes On BGOCD 237 (Barcode 5017261202376) is a straightforward CD transfer/remaster of that album and plays outs as follows (39:33 minutes):

1. Nobody Loves Me But My Mother

2. You're Still My Woman

3. Ask Me No Questions

4. Until I'm Dead And Cold

5. King's Special

6. Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore [Side 2]

7. Chains And Things

8. Go Underground

9. Hummingbird

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Indianola Mississippi Seeds" – released October 1970 in the USA on ABC Records ABCS-713 and October 1970 in the UK on Probe Records SPBA 6255 (gatefold sleeve in both countries). Produced by BILL SZYMCZYK with Strings and Horns arranged by JIMMIE HASKELL. It peaked at No. 26 on the US LP charts. Tracks 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are written by B.B. King – Tracks 2, 7 and 8 co-written with B.B. King and Dave Clark – Track 9 is a Leon Russell cover version. 

MUSICIANS:

B.B. KING - All Lead Vocals & Guitar

JOE WALSH - Rhythm Guitar on "Ask Me No Questions", "King's Special" and "Hummingbird"

CAROLE KING - Piano on "You're Still My Woman", "Until I'm Dead And Cold" and "Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore"

CAROLE KING - Electric Piano on "Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore" and "Chains And Things"

LEON RUSSELL - Piano on "Ask Me No Questions", "King's Special" and "Go Underground"

MERRY CLAYTON - Backing Vocals

BRYAN GARAFALO - Bass

RUSS KUNKEL - Drums

45s released around the LP:

1. Hummingbird b/w Ask Me No Questions

July 1970 USA 7" single on ABC Records 45-11268

August 1970 UK 7" single on Stateside SS 2176

2. Chains And Things [Edit] b/w King's Special [Edit]

October 1970 USA 7” single on ABC Records 45-ABC-11280

Chains And Things b/w King's Special

February 1971 UK 7" single on Probe PRO 516 (no edits)

3. Ask Me No Questions b/w Nobody Loves Me But My Mother

February 1971 USA 7" single on ABC Records ABC-11290

Ask Me Questions/Help The Poor b/w Hummingbird

June 1971 UK 7" single on Probe Records PRO 528 (Note: the A-side has two tracks)

The 8-page inlay has basic but entertaining liner notes from JOHN TOBLER. This is 1995 BGO – so the booklet isn’t like their 20-page tomes of late nor is there a pretty card slipcase (mores the pity) and could frankly do with some updating. It doesn’t say who did the Remaster but it was carried out at 'Sound Recording Technology in Cambridge' in early 1995. The audio is great – meaty in all the right ways. It has a very analogue feel - hissy in some places - but alive and kicking for all that.

With just B.B.accompanying himself on piano - it opens with the witty "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother" where the Blues Boy bemoans his womanless fate. Nobody loves him and he ain't sure about his mother either (could be jiving him). Next up is the slinky "You're Still My Woman" and we're introduced to another 'secret weapon' in the sessions - a writer's credit to a one 'Dave Clark'. B.B. co-wrote three of the songs with this Tennessee songwriting genius and although Clark never managed an album of his own – his songs crop up like good pennies in cool places. Clark’s "Homework" was covered by The J. Geils Band on their debut and used as a 7" single. "Homework" also turned up on the Fleetwood Mac and Friends double-album "Blues Jam At Chess" on Blue Horizon. B.B. would co-write with Clark again on the 1972 album "L.A. Midnight" on ABC Records (Probe Records in the UK). ABC decided to use Clark's wonderful "Chains And Things" as a 45 and you can so hear why. This sneaky electric piano riffs comes sailing in (Carole King) and it’s that fabulous 70ts fusion of Blues and Rock and Soul all rolled into one (a highlight for sure).

There are two funky instrumentals - "King's Special" (preceded by some studio chatter) features the band of King, Walsh, Carole and Leon all boogieing the session in a hipster jam. It's the kind of cool Rock-Soul-Funky instrumental that will turn up on some Soul Jazz double-album compilation in the next few years - an example of a long lost wicked groove that kids of today need to know about. The other is the Side 2 opener "Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore" which is a weird one - like two songs in one - both different but excellent grooves. "Go Underground" hails from the "Completely Well" sessions and is a Funky bopper - could have been a great single. His cover of Leon Russell's "Hummingbird" ends the record on another Funky Blues vibe - great piano and those orchestrated strings. The bass is so sweet, Leon plays piano on his own tune and Joe Walsh gives it some chug in the Rhythm section and Merry comes in with the choir voices at the finale.

"Indianola Mississippi Seeds" is a wicked album filled with musical bodies that only complimented and enhanced the great man's mojo.

"...She gets me where I live..." - B.B. King sings on the cool "Hummingbird". Well plug me into that watermelon one more time...

"Hand Sown…Home Grown / Silk Purse / Linda Ronstadt” by LINDA RONSTADT (2014 Beat Goes On 2CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...The Long Way Around..."

This 2CD Set of Remasters contains the album "Silk Purse" released in 1970

This stunning 21 July 2014 (UK released) 2CD set gives us Linda Ronstadt's three albums on Capitol Records between 1969 and 1972. There's a lot to get through so here's the details for Beat Goes on BGOCD 1156 (Barcode 5017261211569)...

Disc 1 (61:35 minutes):

1. Baby You've Been On My Mind

2. Silver Threads And Golden Needles

3. Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad

4. A Number And A Name

5. The Only Mama That'll Walk The Line

6. The Long Way Around

7. Break My Mind

8. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

9. It's About Time

10. We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus (And A Lot Less Rock `n' Roll

11. The Dolphins

Tracks 1 to 11 are her debut solo album "Hand Sown...Home Grown" - released March 1969 in the USA on Capitol ST-208 and September 1969 in the UK on Capitol E-ST 208

12. Lovesick Blues

13. Are My Thoughts With You?

14. Will You Love Me Tomorrow?

15. Nobody's

16. Louise

17. Long Long Time

18. Mental Revenge

19. I'm Leavin' It All Up To You

20. He Dark The Sun

21. Like Is Like A Mountain Railway

Tracks 12 to 21 are her 2nd album "Silk Purse" - released March 1970 in the USA on Capitol ST-407 and August 1970 on Capitol E-ST 407 in the UK

Disc 2 (31:47 minutes):

1. Rock Me On The Water

2. Crazy Arms

3. I Won't Be Hangin' Round

4. I Still Miss Someone

5. In My Reply

6. I Fall To Pieces

7. Ramblin' Round

8. Birds

9. Faithful

10. Rescue Me

Tracks 1 to 10 are her 3rd album "Linda Ronstadt" - released January 1972 in the USA on Capital SMAS-635 and April 1972 on Capitol EA-ST 635 in the UK

The outer card wrap is now a feature for Beat Goes On and gives the whole shebang a very classy feel. The chockers 24-page booklet features detailed histories by noted musicologist JOHN TOBLER with reproductions of the original liner notes, period photos and musician credits. The sound quality is truly superlative (Andrew Thompson 2014 remasters - tapes licensed from Universal) - incredibly clean and alive. Fans will love this.

The first two LPs have the feel of an artist trying to hit that sweet spot somewhere between Traditional Country and Country-Rock and not quite getting there. Her voice is fabulous on Randy Newman's "Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad" and Mickey Newbury's "Are My Thoughts With You" - the same on Paul Siebel's "Louise". She goes full fiddle country with the bitter Mel Tillis post relationship classic "Mental Revenge" and vocal Americana on "Life Is Like A Mountain Railway". The sound quality is superb throughout - vocal, Dobro and mandolin.

"Rock Me On The Water" opens her 1972 album and this Jackson Browne cover (from his "Saturate Before Use" 1972 debut album) is the first real sight of a template that would serve her for decades to come - covers of great Rock songs by quality songwriters known and unknown. I love the keyboard slink of "I Won't Be Hangin' Round" (an Eric Kaz song) and "In My Reply" is a rare take on a Livingston Taylor song (James Taylor's brother). The whole album is everything the first two should have been.

But better than that - her 3rd self-titled album is famous for being an early Country-Rock classic and for bringing together THE EAGLES who were at the time dispersed between the bands SHILOH and LONGBRANCH PENNYWHISTLE while doubling -up as Ronstadt's touring band. Randy Meisner, Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Bernie Leadon play and harmonize of six of the tracks and would release their debut album later that year with Ronstadt's blessings. Other notable contributions to the record are Herb Pedersen on Banjo and National Steel with Sneaky Pete on Steel Guitar. Three of the songs on Side 2 are `live' - the Hank Cochran classic "I Fall To Pieces", a truly beautiful cover of Neil Young's "Birds" and a boppin version of Fontella Bass's 1965 Checker Records Soul Classic "Rescue Me" (which finishes the album on a high).

I've really enjoyed re-hearing these records - and especially in such wonderful clarity and with liner notes by someone who knows what's what.

Yet another top quality remaster/reissue by Beat Goes On - and I can only hope they can get access to her Asylum Records catalogue and deliver it with the same sonic results.

This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Book Series. One of those titles is CLASSIC 1970s ROCK - an E-Book with over 260 entries and 2450 e-Pages - purchase on Amazon and search any artist or song (click the link below). Huge amounts of info taken directly from the discs (no cut and paste crap).