Pete Townsend and Ronnie Lane Rough Mix 1977

Here's one that deserves to be ranked among the better rock records of it's day, and certainly more revered than it seems to be. Townsend was asked to produce a solo record for Lane, and instead it became this lovely duo recording. The record, other than the recognizable voices, mostly bears little resemblance to The Who or Faces records, and stands as a singular recording in either artists oeuvre.

Songwriting is shared democratically, and Lane comes through with several excellent examples of his work. Nowhere To Run is a great lyric and vocal, Annie is sweet melancholy, Catmelody is a fine old time rocker, and April Fool is the English folk music that features in much of Lane's solo work. 

Townsend contributes Keep Me Turning, which sounds like one from Who Came First, Misunderstood, a great ode to being the mystery man, Heart To Hang On To which features the two stars alternating lead vocals, the magnificent, observational Street In The City, which has a grand string orchestra arrangement by Pete's father-in-law, and My Baby Gives It Away, a spritely appreciation of a, shall we say, generous lover. It rocks.

They are both credited with writing the rocking jam title track with Eric Clapton adding hot lead guitar. Clapton plays dobro on a couple others, Pete Evans adds harmonica to a couple, Mel Collins plays sax on Catmelody, Henry Spinetti's drums and Rabbit Bundrick's keyboards feature on most of the record. 

The heartfelt Don Williams cover Till The Rivers All Run Dry closes the record on a sentimental note.

There's nothing quite like it in either artist's other work by The Who, Faces, or their solo outings. Two great songwriters that clearly enjoy each other produce an exceptional work of understated elegance.

Cher 3614 Jackson Highway 1969

 

I'm not what anyone would call a big Cher fan, but I've never had anything against her either. I enjoyed her 60s singles with Sonny, and over the years she's put out a string of interesting and enjoyable singles, often shifting styles and genres, and being a consummate performer on stage, film, and video. I like her attitude.

I recently discovered her duet single with Harry Nillson of A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Every Day), produced by Phil Spector from 1975. It's worth checking out on YouTube. The b-side is Cher doing (Just Enough To Keep Me) Hangin' On, from the 3614 Jackson Highway album. I love the version of A Hangin' On (same song) by Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis on their Our Year record from 2014, and Cher's version is good.

And so, I sought out 3614 Jackson Highway. In 1969, Cher had had a string of unsuccessful singles and had fallen out of favor with the new hip (hippie) music fans, and so she went to Muscle Shoals in an attempt to revive her career. Long story short, it didn't work, although in 1971, Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves would start her 70s revival.

The Jackson Highway record features the hit-making Muscle Shoals rhythm section, a core of great back-up singers, mostly well chosen and trendy cover songs, and production from Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler. Well-arranged horns and strings embellish a few songs. How could it not be good? Maybe the better question would be How could it not be a hit? 

It was a flop, and Atco dropped her immediately. And it just makes no sense at all, except that the record buying public had decided that Cher just wasn't cool anymore, and so the record didn't sell. 

There's eleven songs, and the first nine all work. She does a perfectly fine For What It's Worth, and the aforementioned Hangin' On is good. Her (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay is surprisingly good, taken with a more mellow vibe than Otis Redding. I Walk On Guilded Splinters is another surprise success. There's three Bob Dylan songs (Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You, I Threw It All Away, Lay Baby Lay), and they all work just fine. Only the last two songs bring the rating down a notch. The awful "stay for the kids" message of Save The Children is pretty bad, and absolutely no one should ever try Do Right Woman, Do Right Man after Aretha Franklin did it. (There's a mixed bag of outtakes on the 2018 CD reissue that mostly add little value.)

Why review a record from 1969 that nobody bought new? Well because it's a good record made by an interesting artist with the inimitable Muscle Shoals rhythm section, and you haven't heard it. I mean, the odds that anyone living today has heard this, other than dyed-in-the-wool Cher fans, is extremely low. But if you are even remotely interested, I'll bet you'll like it. 

Gyasi Here Comes The Good Part 2025

 

Maybe you are someone who loved Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, or Mott The Hoople's Mott or T Rex's Electric Warrior, or anything by Slade, and you wish that the glam era wasn't so short-lived in the seventies. Well, Gyasi (pronounced Jah-See) is here for you.

The record kicks off with the pounding Sweet Thing, big buzzsaw guitars and hooky melodies. Lightening follows, another pounding rocker that's just fine. Snake City features a nice skronky lead break and a chorus made for arena sing-alongs. Solo bass starts off She Says, and then it kicks into high gear, driving fast and hard with big guitars and another catchy chorus. Street Life is riff rock of high caliber, and then American Dream is the big ballad that sounds like a Ziggy outtake (a good one), ending the first side in fine style.

Side two comes driving out of the gate with Cheap High, a fast and furious workout with a smoking lead guitar. Big crunching guitar announces Baby Blue, with another riff supporting a catchy melody and more wailing lead guitar. Bang Bang (Runaway) rocks hard, Star starts off like a lost Led Zeppelin track and then morphs into a Mott the Hoople song. Piano is featured on 23, and it's a mid-tempo number with an interesting rhythm and yet another searing lead break. The record ends with Grand Finale, a sweet Bowie-inspired ballad with synth strings and a sentimental lyric, that turns into a big arena ballad before it ends, and closes with a hot lead guitar.

Throughout the record, Gyasi sings in an affected nasal style that is a cross between Bowie and Marc Bolin, and also employs a strong Robert Plant falsetto for the high parts. Melodies are strong, lyrics are good, and the band is tight. 

What more could a glam rock fan ask for?

The Golden Era of Rock 'n' Roll 1955-1963 2004

During the 1990s and early 2000s the reissue market took off like crazy. Motown, Stax/Volt, Atlantic and others all released box sets of their back catalog hits, usually with nice booklets with essays and track information. Rhino Records and Hip-O Records both did excellent work in the reissue field, and especially in various artist compilations. This set is a companion to The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll set I discussed way back here.  

This is one of the better compilations of it's ilk, and hits most of the highlights (with the usual licensing issues) that one might want in covering this early rock and roll era. Bill Haley, the Moonglows, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent and Carl Perkins show up on the first CD (the set is nicely chronological). The Ventures, Dion, Del Shannon and Roy Orbison populate the third CD. All the names you might remember or that you may have studied through reading about the era are here, but so are some of the lesser artists such as The Bobettes, Lee Andrews and the Hearts, The Five Satins, Shirley and Lee, and Joey Dee and the Starlighters. Their songs are more familiar than their names in most cases.

It isn't quite the revelation that the Roots of Rock 'n' Roll set was, as that one explored the era before rock really took over the airwaves, and was a deep dive into less familiar music and varied genres. But for someone born in the seventies or later, much of this material might be quite alien, and perhaps even as revelatory. And if you were listening to the oldies station in the sixties or seventies, much of this will sound pleasingly familiar, and some of it will be new. The set ends in 1963 with The Angels' My Boyfriend's Back, The Chiffons' He's So Fine, and The Beach Boys Surfin' USA. Let's just say they nailed the landing.

I've explored a number of Box Set collections in the past, and the good ones are mighty fine listening. You can check those entries out here. Additionally, most of them are available at bargain prices these days. I'm going to try to review the remainder of these sets in my collection in the near future. Stay tuned.