CatStevens —
Izitso ... LP A&M, 1977. Near Mint- Gatefold ...
Out Of Stock
CatStevens' most soulful moment! Long before he changed his name – and started setting his sights on Salman Rushdie – CatStevens decided to atone for the wrongdoings of previous A&M albums with this album! The record still contains a number of Cat's soporific folksy numbers – but it's also got an early instrumental electro track that became an instant hip hop classic! The tune is "Was Dog A Doughnut" – and while the title may signify Stevens' metaphysical crisis at the time, he was at least of sound mind enough not to sing on the track, thus preserving linn-drum groove for posterity! LP, Vinyl record album
The first album from Shawn Phillips – featuring Phillips recording in London with members of Traffic backing him up – in a style that's a great extrapolation of folksy and bluesy roots with some of the hipper styles going down in England at the end of the 60s. Phillips does a great job of expanding his bag way past simple acoustic folk for the record – and manages to do so with a simple, personal quality that's quite different than most of his contemporaries – a sound that should have made him as big as labelmate CatStevens, but which has also held up a fair bit better over the years, thanks to Shawn's somewhat obscure status. Titles include "Not Quite Nonsense", "Screamer For Phlyses", "For JFK RFK & MLK", "Lovely Lady", "Withered Roses", "L Ballade", and "No Question". LP, Vinyl record album
Hip stuff by Nancy Wilson – and a sophisticated album of soul tracks arranged and produced by Gene Page, in a string-heavy, slightly-funky style that reminds us of Gene's work with Barry White at the time. The tracks are all pretty hip – and include titles written by Stevie Wonder, Johnny Guitar Watson, Thom Bell & Linda Creed, Billy Page, and Tennyson Stevens. No standout tracks, but plenty of nice moments, and a good side of Nancy's career that isn't always given that much exposure. Titles include "Tell The Truth", "Try It, You'll Like It", "All In Love Is Fair", "There'll Always Be Forever", and "You're As Right As Rain". LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has light ringwear and some small indents in front.)
Hip stuff by Nancy Wilson – and a sophisticated album of soul tracks arranged and produced by Gene Page, in a string-heavy, slightly-funky style that reminds us of Gene's work with Barry White at the time. The tracks are all pretty hip – and include titles written by Stevie Wonder, Johnny Guitar Watson, Thom Bell & Linda Creed, Billy Page, and Tennyson Stevens. No standout tracks, but plenty of nice moments, and a good side of Nancy's career that isn't always given that much exposure. Titles include "Tell The Truth", "Try It, You'll Like It", "All In Love Is Fair", "There'll Always Be Forever", and "You're As Right As Rain". LP, Vinyl record album
A wild record! Singer Kelly Stevens turns out some fusion versions of Disney songs – not recent ones from the overwrought Lion King days, but old ones, of classic cartoon years. The best part of all, though, is that Kelly's working here with a hip Finnish combo with some great electric keyboards – grooving in a mode that's got a breezy European finish, and which makes the record sparkle like some lost MPS or 70s San Francisco jazz gem. Of course, a few songs are a bit too hokey to get into – but there's some other ones on here that are surprisingly great, and which have an expansive sound that really opens up the tracks. Includes a funky break version of "Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf", a scatting grooving take on "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo", and the tracks "Chim Chim Cheree", "Alice In Wonderland", "When You Wish Upon A Star", and "Heigh Ho". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original US pressing! Cover has light wear and a cut corner.)
Breathy brilliance from April Stevens – the sexy west coast singer who made some really wonderful records in the 50s! At some level, April was a bit like Julie London – in that she sang in a laidback, seductive tone that was quite risque at times – but she was also a bit more pop than jazz, and was always up for a catchy arrangement or a slight production gimmick to really help send over a tune! The title track was a hit single, but the whole album's great – and titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Do It Again", "Teach Me Tiger", "That's My Name", "When My Baby Smiles At Me", "I Want A Lip", and "In Other Words". LP, Vinyl record album
12
Walter Wanderley —
Moondreams ... LP CTI/A&M, 1969. Very Good+ Gatefold ...
Out Of Stock
Walter Wanderley opens up wonderfully on both organ and electric harpsichord here – going for a very different sound than on his earlier records, and with plenty of great late 60s CTI touches! The music is as heavenly as you might guess from the title – a dreamy recasting of Brazilian bossa modes with some of the sunnier 60s touches of the A&M scene – all wrapped together with impeccable arrangements both from Deodato and Wanderley himself. The record mixes a bit of strings with a sweet chorus of flutes and just a bit of trumpet – all undercut by some snapping rhythms that include a bit of percussion from Airto, plus occasional chorus vocals sung by Flora Purim and Stella Stevens! The mix of players, modes and sounds here is really wonderful – and makes for a unique album that propels the older 60s bossa sound firmly towards the more sophisticated modes of the 70s – all at a level that Wanderley never hit again in the studio! Titles include great versions of Marcos Valle's "Proton, Electron, Neutron", Egberto Gismonti's "O Sonho (Moondreams)", Luiz Gonzaga's "Asa Branca", and Young-Holt Unlimited's classic "Soulful Strut" – plus "Penha", "L'Amore Dice Ciao", "5:30 Plane", and "Mirror Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album
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