Friday, August 30, 2013

40 Year Itch : Those We Missed in August of '73





"Midnight at the Oasis" is the big hit, but this album, featuring assistance from the likes of Dr John, Ry Cooder and, again, Clarence White is a tasteful delight all the way through. 




For Rolling Stone Jon Landau wrote "One of the half-dozen best albums of the year, the kind of glorious breakthrough that reminds me why I fell in love with rock and roll -- even though there isn't much straight rock here."






One of rock's great eccentrics, Exuma 's final album for Kama Sutra , Life, didn't sell much but the Bahamian musician had achieved legendary status around New Orleans by the time I attended college there in the 80's so I bought this on cassette.  Life has two Rolling Stones covers, "Paint It Black" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want".





Former Byrds drummer Gene Parsons's first solo album, Kindling, is almost a one man band effort. He gets some support from Clarence White , Gib Guilbeau and a few others on this tasteful but low key tribute to the music of Appalachia.






Captain Beyond follow up their spectacular debut by changing direction with a sound they described at the time as "Space-Latin rock". Some have also called it "Acoustic Prog". In any case it's a far cry from the founders' former bands Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly. An intelligent and rewarding listen





[Out of Print]

On their third album, Pressure Cookin', Labelle were still a year away from achieving their  "Lady Marmalade" chart success despite the presence of a Stevie Wonder penned single ("Open Your Heart") Noteworthy for its melody teaming up Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" with Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air". (Thunderclap Newman's 1969 album was re released in '73).




 
Stevie Wonder wrote and plays the keyboards on the 8 and a half minute title track for B.B. King  who also covers The Staple Sisters "Respect Yourself" and bends plenty of blues notes on his most commercial effort yet.





Todd Rundgren produced this seventh, slickest and most successful of Grand Funk (Railroad) albums. By late September the title track , sung by drummer Don Brewer, would be the #1 song in the land. And the four members would have enough money to buy some gutdam clothes. And that's a natural fact!



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