Various Artists - Blue Note Perfect Takes (2004)

"Legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder selects his favorite Blue Note recordings from the RVG series."

To be honest, I grabbed this disc out of a used bin without even checking the track list. With that title, it's gotta be good, right? Well, it is, of course, but I already owned over half the titles on other compilations or the source albums and there was room left for few more selections here. But the disc comes with a bonus DVD, so there's that. However, for a Blue Note primer compilation that features songs that aren't necessarily the most well-known from the label, you could do much worse. (If you're looking for the more popular cuts, I suggest the 1999 double-disc compilation, The Best Blue Note Album in the World...Ever!)

Liner notes for this 2004 compilation written by Van Gelder himself.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

CD Tracks (10 tracks, 56 minutes):

1. Thelonious Monk - Four In One, originally released on a 10" single b/w Straight No Chaser (1952)
2. Miles Davis - Budo, from the 1957 album Birth Of The Cool
3. Hank Mobley - Remember, from the 1960 album Soul Station
4. Freddie Hubbard - Arietis, from the 1962 album Ready For Freddie
5. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue, from the 1963 album Midnight Blue
6. Joe Henderson - Mode For Joe, from the 1966 album Mode For Joe
7. Donald Byrd - Christo Redentor, from the 1964 album A New Perspective
8. Wayne Shorter - Footprints, from the 1967 album Adam's Apple
9. Art Blakey - Moon River, from the 1963 album Buhaina's Delight
10. Jimmy Smith - See See Rider, from the 1961 album Home Cookin'

DVD:

• 25 minute video featuring an interview with Van Gelder
• Biographies of Van Gelder plus the 10 artists featured on the CD
• A written history of the Blue Note label
• Advertisement for Blue Note t-shirts for sale
• 52 photos taken by Francis Wolff of various recording sessions (prints also for sale)

Nothing essential here, especially since all the historical and biographical is now readily available online and the video is now on YouTube (note: this CD/DVD was released in 2004; YouTube launched a year later). The video is good, not great - mainly interview clips with Van Gelder and producer Michael Cuscuna interspersed with photo/music montages - but I enjoyed hearing Van Gelder speak about his work with all labels, including Prestige, Verve, and CTI. And if you're interested in t-shirts and/or photo prints, they're still available at https://store.bluenote.com/ I currently have neither t-shirt nor print, but I was given a sweet Blue Note hoodie last year so I can continue my quest to be an aging hipster.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete - From All Sides (1965)

Blurb from the back insert of this 1998 CD reissue:

An innocuous but enjoyable bossa nova recording - stands up to active listening but very well suited for cocktail party background music. As mentioned in the reviews below, Sete often steals the show (you might do well to ignore that nonsense in the Billboard review). This album was my introduction to Sete but you can be sure I'll be on the lookout for his name now. It's not quite in the same league, but this album pairs well with albums such as Getz/Gilberto, Jazz Samba, or Wave.

Original liner notes by Ralph J. Gleason.

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "The two work so well together that it's often difficult to distinguish the piano from the guitar sounds."
• CashBox: "The set is an unusual and extremely brilliant one"
• Downbeat (★★★½): "Guaraldi does all right but Sete does even better, and the listener gets the benefit of a rising parlay."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide (1985): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Bossa versions of everything from Mozart's 40th symphony (Choro) to the most famous bossa tune (The Girl From Ipanema) to a pop standard of the mid-'60s (A Taste Of Honey) to some Guaraldi retreads (Ginza Samba & Menino Pequeno Da Bateria) plus some originals. My favorite of the originals is track 6, Ballad Of Pancho Villa. A fine mix.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Various Artists - Now 12" 80s: 1983, Part Two (2024)

EU Import

If a little is good, more is better.

Tracks plus chart peaks on the Billboard dance/disco charts and, if a particular remix has previously appeared on the blog, a link to that other disc (★):

CD 1 (71:54)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Wham!	Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do) (Special U.S. Mix)	6:41	-
Spandau Ballet	Gold (12" Mix)	7:14	-	★
Eurythmics	Who's That Girl (Extended Mix)	6:53	-
Bananarama	Cruel Summer (Extended Version)	4:56	11
Culture Club	I'll Tumble 4 Ya (US 12" Remix)	4:39	14
Marilyn	Calling Your Name (Extended Version)	6:54	-
Kajagoogoo	Too Shy (Midnight Mix)	5:28	25
The Lotus Eaters	The First Picture Of You (12" Version)	5:30	22
Nick Heyward	Take That Situation (Rhythm Mix)	3:52	-	★
Men Without Hats	The Safety Dance (Extended Version)	4:33	1	★
Flash And The Pan	Waiting For A Train (Disco Version)	5:38	79
Joe Jackson	Steppin' Out (Full Length Version)	4:23	45
Mike Oldfield	Moonlight Shadow (12" Version)	5:13	-

CD 2 (71:44)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
New Order	Blue Monday	7:30	5
The Cure	The Lovecats (Extended Version)	4:37	52
Echo & The Bunnymen	Never Stop (Discotheque)	4:45	-
Public Image Ltd.	This Is Not A Love Song (12" remix)	4:27	-
Aztec Camera	Walk Out to Winter (Extended Version)	7:47	-
Madness	The Sun And The Rain (12" Extended Version)	4:40	-
The Belle Stars	Sweet Memory (Extended 12" Remix)	6:36	-
Tracie Young	Give It Some Emotion (Extended Version)	5:28	-
Tracey Ullman	Breakaway (Monitor Mix)	4:57	-
Paul Young	Love Of The Common People (Extended Version)	5:52	42
Rick Springfield	Human Touch (Extended Mix)	7:13	23
Yes	Owner Of A Lonely Heart (Special Remix Dance Version)	7:50	3	★

CD 3 (73:08)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Lionel Richie	All Night Long (All Night) (12" Version)	6:42	5
KC & The Sunshine Band	Give It Up (John Luongo Disco Mix)	5:17	24
Donna Summer	She Works Hard For The Money (Club Mix)	6:18	3
Indeep	Last Night A DJ Saved My Life	5:41	2
Divine	Love Reaction (Extended Version)	5:33	-
Malcolm McLaren	Double Dutch (12" Version)	8:03	47
Rock Steady Crew	(Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew (Extended Version)	5:26	38
Modern Romance	High Life (Extended Version)	8:16	-
Shalamar	Dead Giveaway (12" Version)	5:01	18
Booker Newberry III	Love Town	5:16	66
Billy Griffin	Hold Me Tighter In The Rain (Extended Version)	5:23	-
Level 42	The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) (Extended Version)	6:10	-

CD 4 (72:15)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Duran Duran	Is There Something I Should Know (Monster Mix)	6:42	34	★
Heaven 17	Temptation (Extended Mix)	4:39	34	★
Tears For Fears	Change (Extended Version)	5:55	-
O. M. D.	Telegraph (Extended)	5:37	-
Blancmange	That's Love, That It Is (Extended)	6:34	56
Japan	All Tomorrows Parties (Steve Nye Extended Remix)	5:16	-
Annabel Lamb	Riders On The Storm (Extended Version)	5:59	-
Limahl	Only For Love (12" Mix)	5:43	28
Thompson Twins	Love On Your Side (Rap Boy Rap Full Length Version)	7:28	6
Yello	I Love You (Extended Version)	7:05	16
Talk Talk	My Foolish Friend (Extended Mix)	5:29	-	★
Midge Ure & Mick Karn	After A Fashion (Extended Version)	5:44	-

Bold move putting Love Reaction in the same compilation with Blue Monday.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: See previous post.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Now 12" 80s: 1983, Part One (2024)
Now 80s Alternative (2023)
Now That's What I Call 12" 70s (2022)
Now That's What I Call Christmas! (2001)
Now That's What I Call Music! 1981: The Millennium Series (1999)

Various Artists - Now 12" 80s: 1983, Part One (2024)

EU Import

The title is self-explanatory: 12" mixes of songs from 1983. Over 5 hours of music across 4 discs. This particular compilation attracted me for several reasons: 1) 1983 is smack dab in the middle of my high school days, 2) there's a nice mix of familiar and unfamiliar tunes here, and 3) there are at least three extended versions on the compilation that I've been looking for on CD for a good long while. Those three are the Jellybean Benitez remix of Say Say Say by Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson, which should have been included on the 2015 Archive Collection edition of Pipes Of Peace.

The Jellybean Benitez remix of Billy Joel's Tell Her About It, which I owned on vinyl back in 1983, I mentioned in my post on An Innocent Man, and should have been included in the mediocre box set, My Lives.

The Special Remix Version of Our Lips Are Sealed by Fun Boy Three. I also owned that 12" single and played both sides frequently back in '83 and '84. Side one contained the mix found here on CD Three, track 9. Side two had the single edit and a mesmerizing Urdu version which I tracked down on the 1997 compilation disc, Really Saying Something: The Best of Fun Boy Three.

So for a guy like me, this purchase was a foregone conclusion. And for anyone who danced their ass off to these tracks at school dances, this is fantastic set and well worth the price (I paid $22.64, your mileage may vary.)

Tracks: Speaking of dancing, I've included chart peaks on the Billboard dance/disco charts and, if a particular remix has previously appeared on the blog, a link to that other disc (★).

CD 1 (78:42)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Wham!	Bad Boys (12" Version)	4:58	28
Eurythmics	Right By Your Side (12" Remix)	12:22	32
Duran Duran	Union Of The Snake (The Monkey Mix)	6:27	33	★
Spandau Ballet	Communication (Club Mix)	4:27	59	★
The Human League	(Keep Feeling) Fascination (Extended Version)	4:58	1
Howard Jones	New Song (Extended Version)	5:36	4
O. M. D.	Genetic Engineering (312MM Version)	5:10	-
Blancmange	Blind Vision (Long Version)	9:38	3
Ultravox	We Came To Dance (Extended Version)	7:38	-	★
Tears For Fears	The Way You Are (Extended Version)	4:33	-
Thompson Twins	Hold Me Now (12" Version)	9:46	1

CD 2 (77:45)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Adam Ant	Puss 'N Boots (Extended Version)	5:05	-
Bananarama	Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (12" Version)	9:46	14
The Belle Stars	Sign Of The Times (Remixed Extended 12" Version)	5:36	43
Bucks Fizz	When We Were Young (Extended Club Mix)	6:27	-
Thompson Twins	We Are Detective (More Clues)	5:49	-
Haysi Fantayzee	Shiny Shiny (US Dance Mix)	4:34	-
Altered Images	Don't Talk To Me About Love (Extended Version)	6:59	-
Kajagoogoo	Ooh To Be Ah (The Construction Mix)	6:37	-
Paul Young	Come Back And Stay (Extended Club Mix)	7:24	42
Heaven 17	Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry (Extended Dance Version)	6:19	34	★
Soft Cell	Soul Inside (12" Mix)	11:57	-
Taco	Puttin' On The Ritz (Extended Version)	6:04	37

CD 3 (79:13)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Irene Cara	Flashdance...What A Feeling (Remix)	7:11	1
Freeez	I.O.U. (Megamix)	8:44	3
New Order	Confusion (12" Version)	8:14	5
Rockers Revenge	The Harder They Come (Extended Version)	8:35	13
Forrest	Rock The Boat (High Dynamic Re-Mix)	8:44	9
Modern Romance	Don't Stop that Crazy Rhythm (Extended Version)	6:33	-
Level 42	The Chinese Way (Extended Version)	7:03	-
Madness	Wings Of A Dove (12" Blue Train Mix)	6:09	-
Fun Boy Three	Our Lips Are Sealed (Special Remix Version)	6:06	-
The Style Council	Long Hot Summer (Extended Version)	7:02	-
Nick Heyward	Whistle Down The Wind (12" Version)	4:52	-	★

CD 4 (77:46)
Artist	Song	Time	Dance	CD
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson	Say Say Say (12" Version)	5:42	2
Billy Joel	Tell Her About It (Special Remix Version)	5:36	38
The Fixx	One Thing Leads To Another (Extended Version)	8:00	14
Debbie Harry	Rush, Rush (Extended Version)	4:47	28
Laura Branigan	Gloria (12" Version)	5:55	4
Miquel Brown	So Many Men, So Little Time (12" Vocal)	8:14	2
Divine	Shake It Up (12" Vocal)	6:08	-
Ryan Paris	Dolce Vita (Extended Disco Mix)	7:31	-
Lydia Murdock	Superstar (Long Version)	9:07	-
Phil Fearon & Galaxy	Dancing Tight (Dance Mix)	6:14	-
Donna Summer	Unconditional Love (Extended Version)	5:16	-
Tina Turner	Let's Stay Together (Album Version)	5:15	1

With very few exceptions, my personal sweet spot for lengths of "extended mixes" is somewhere between 5½ - 7 minutes, so when we get to 9+ minutes, my cup runneth over.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: After home high school football games on Friday nights, a school club (Interact, maybe?) sponsored "Victory Dances." Admission: $2. The dances were held in an old city-owned building simply known as the "Service Center" which was a former USO building built during World War II. Amazingly, it is still in use today. I'm not sure when the victory dances kicked off after the end of the football game (pun intended and I apologize for nothing), but by the time I got home from the game, changed out of my marching band uniform into an outfit that more than likely included a skinny tie, and made it to the Service Center, it was usually 10:45 or 11 PM. Stairway To Heaven was normally scheduled for 11:50, so that doesn't leave much dance time for young Mark. Nevertheless, I danced as if I was hopped up on cocaine and returned home sufficiently exhausted.

Postscript: at my recent high school reunion, I was once again a dancing fool and one female classmate commented that I "still got it" so I've got that going for me, which is nice. The aforementioned fool at the aforementioned 40 year reunion:

Previously revisited for the blog:
Now 80s Alternative (2023)
Now That's What I Call 12" 70s (2022)
Now That's What I Call Christmas! (2001)
Now That's What I Call Music! 1981: The Millennium Series (1999)

Wes Montgomery - Classics, Volume 22 (1987)

Guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded only three albums for the A&M label before his untimely death at age of 45 in 1968:

• A Day In The Life, 1967
• Down Here On The Ground, 1968
• Road Song, 1968

All three albums were recorded at the Van Gelder Studio and produced by Creed Taylor with arrangements by Don Sebesky or Eumir Deodato. This early CD compilation collects tracks from those three albums in addition to five previously unissued selections. Notable musicians on these tracks include Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Hubert Laws, among others.

Most cuts are brief covers of pop tunes with little room for improvisation, but they proved to reach more of an audience and even if Montgomery's old jazz purist fans didn't care much for it, his accountant certainly did. As mentioned in the CD's liner notes by Peter Keepnews of The New York Times, "he was happy to be making big money for the first time in his life." The entire compilation, like most Creed Taylor productions, is easy on the ears and I enjoy all 67 minutes of it.

Following this 1987 edition released as part of the A&M Records 25th Anniversary Series, the compilation was reissued two additional times featuring the same track selection and sequence, but with different album art. In 1991, it was reissued as part of the A&M Gold Series, and again in 1996 as part of the A&M Backlot Series.

Peak on the US Billboard 200 album chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

	Title	Album
1	California Nights	A Day In The Life
2	Windy	A Day In The Life
3	Switchin'	previously unreleased
4	I Say A Little Prayer For You	Down Here On The Ground
5	Yesterday	Road Song
6	Pata Pata	previously unreleased
7	Wind Song	Down Here On The Ground
8	Butterfly	previously unreleased
9	Georgia On My Mind	Down Here On The Ground
10	Hello Young Lovers	previously unreleased
11	Fly Me To The Moon	Road Song
12	Road Song	Road Song
13	A Day In The Life	A Day In The Life
14	Down Here On The Ground	Down Here On The Ground
15	When A Man Loves A Woman	A Day In The Life
16	Eleanor Rigby	A Day In The Life
17	Where Have All The Flowers Gone?	Road Song
18	Know It All (Quem Diz Que Sabe)	Down Here On The Ground
19	My Favorite Things	Previously unreleased
20	Scarborough Fair (Canticle)	Road Song

My top picks today are Windy, I Say A Little Prayer for You, Butterfly, and Know It All.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
A Day In The Life (1967)

Previously revisited in the A&M Records 25th Anniversary Series:

Volume 1, Herb Alpert
Volume 6, Chuck Mangione
Volume 18, Sergio Mendes

Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1988 reissue.

I've written plenty about Talking Heads on this blog and there's still more to come. So, instead of discussing the band, I'll write about how unfairly I treat this album. In 1977, 11 year old Mark was an AM radio junkie with no connection to this sort of stuff. My first memory of Talking Heads is seeing David Byrne jerk around in the video for Once In A Lifetime when it aired on MTV in late '82/early '83. From there, I heard Remain In Light, then Speaking In Tongues helped soundtrack my senior year of high school, then I caught on to the live albums, and so on. So I didn't hear the music on Talking Heads: '77 until I was already deeply immersed in the band's later œuvre. As such, these songs didn't have the impact on me as they might otherwise have. Is that fair? Probably not. Is that way it is? Yup. Shrug.

Comparisons to Marquee Moon are common and not without merit. This album met with more critical success than commercial success, possibly because the press didn't know how to classify the eclectic rock/funk/pop/new wave sound of the music. As the CashBox review (below) states: "this band has been tagged with the 'punk' label, which fits them about as well as a tux at the beach." I'll leave you with this blurb taken from the CD booklet, also printed on the back of the CD longbox:

It is indeed a masterful debut, but today I'd place it either 5th or 6th if I was ranking the group's eight studio albums.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "a style that crosses precise and lightly funky arrangements with a shade of avant-garde/modal progressiveness that's neither hard, soft nor punk."
  
• CashBox: "An interesting and highly appealing band that bears watching."
• Record World: "The Heads are really far removed from this mainstream."
• Robert Christgau: A-
• Rolling Stone: "one of the definitive records of the decade."
• Trouser Press: "This album will test your capacity for wonder."
• Roadrunner: "it will get inside your head and it won't leave you alone. You have been warned."
• Record Mirror (++++): "An impressive debut."
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave (1998): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #97
• CashBox: #169

The album was voted the year's seventh best album in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll. It was also included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it was written that the band "had taken elements of punk, funk, and disco and convincingly created a unique sound of their own." In 2013, Rolling Stone ranked the album at #68 on their list of "100 Best Debut Albums of All Time;" however, it was dropped from the 2022 revision of said list.

Tracks: Let's rank 'em!

11. Tentative Decisions
10. No Compassion
9. New Feeling
8. The Book I Read
7. Happy Day
6. First Week/Last Week...Carefree
5. Don't Worry About The Government*
4. Pulled Up
3. Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town
2. Psycho Killer
1. Who Is It?

*Note: I'm really worried about the government.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Best Of (2004)	Speaking In Tongues (1983)
Little Creatures (1985)	The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Stop Making Sense (1984)	Remain In Light (1980)
	Fear Of Music (1979)

John Williams - The Empire Strikes Back: Original Soundtrack (1980)

Note: This release was originally given to me as a 2 LP set, later replaced by a CD (sorta). The CD I listened to was the very first CD issue, pressed in (then) West Germany for the international market.

A great soundtrack from the best movie of the ever expanding Star Wars saga. We not only get the famous theme from the original 1977 movie, we also are treated to a new Vader's theme - officially titled 'The Imperial March' - plus an immediately recognizable motif for my favorite SW character, Yoda. Yes, Williams borrows a lot from himself and Gustav Holst's The Planets, but it all comes together quite nicely and, in the end, who cares where he gets his inspiration? The score won the Grammy award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, eventually losing to Michael Gore's score for Fame.

I've written before about my youthful desire to become a film composer; perhaps this soundtrack was the impetus?

Press of the time:

• High Fidelity: "a more complex and functional score"
  
• CashBox: "thoroughly engrossing soundtrack"
• Record World: "you're swept away"
• Billboard: "in the same vein as its predecessor"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4
• CashBox: #6
• Rolling Stone: #18

Tracks: Outside the US, Canada, & Japan, this soundtrack was initially released as a 10 track single LP, a condensed version of the 17 track double LP I originally owned. This CD, however, follows that condensed 10 track sequence and clocks in around 42 minutes in length.

	Intl.		US
1	The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)	1	Star Wars (Main Theme)
2	Yoda's Theme	2	Yoda's Theme
3	The Asteroid Field	3	The Training Of A Jedi Knight
4	Han Solo And The Princess (Love Theme)	4	The Heroics Of Luke & Han
5	Finale	5	The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
6	Star Wars (Main Theme)	6	Departure Of Boba Fett
7	The Training Of A Jedi Knight	7	Han Solo And The Princess (Love Theme)
8	Yoda And The Force	8	Hyperspace
9	The Duel	9	The Battle In The Snow
10	The Battle In The Snow	10	The Asteroid Field
		11	The City In The Clouds
		12	Rebels At Bay
		13	Yoda And the Force
		14	The Duel
		15	The Magic Tree
		16	Lando's Place
		17	Finale

While this isn't the familiar sequence and length I grew up with, I prefer this disc's condensed version. It's the perfect length for my nostalgic needs plus it starts off with Imperial March and Yoda.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wouldn't consider myself a Star Wars fanatic (I've maybe seen 5 of the movies), but I've owned this 2" Yoda figure since 1980 - he even went to college with me.

I think he once had a cane?

My mother gave me the 2 LP set of this soundtrack for Christmas, 1980 and I listened to it often. It is only one of three times I can remember her buying a recording for me (the others were Barry Manilow's If I Should Love Again and, many years later, a CD by Pete Townshend & Raphael Rudd, which has since been misplaced).

And I am always on the lookout for this interpretation of the score by the likes of Ron Carter, Jon Faddis, Hubert Laws, Bob James, Billy Cobham, and Ralph MacDonald. For a physical copy, I'll have to look for a "vintage" vinyl copy to purchase as it has never been reissued on CD, but there's always hope.

One wonders what Lord Vader thinks about improvisation.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Joy To The World (1992)
JFK Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1992)
By Request (1987)