Aztec Camera - Deep And Wide And Tall (2005)

UK import, part of the Warner Platinum series.

Not too long ago, I wrote these words; "Every time I hear a track from Aztec Camera, I always wonder why I don't have any Aztec Camera CDs. Easily remedied, perhaps, but that doesn't explain why I've waited so long." Well, I finally took care of that problem and have been listening to this compilation CD quite a bit lately. I'll let the Allmusic review do the 'splaining about this compilation:

This budget-priced collection of "sophistipop" from Scottish guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame (aka Aztec Camera) is (for the most part) a neutered version of 2001's 16-track Best of Aztec Camera. As digitally remastered anthologies go, WEA International's Deep and Wide and Tall: The Platinum Collection does an adequate job of providing an overview of the hyper-literate, new wave/college rock outfit's nearly 15-year career

I don't hope for "adequate" when buying a CD, but that's an apt descriptor here. I shoulda gone with the aforementioned "Best of" disc or simply a copy of the (oddly expensive) High Land, Hard Rain debut album, but I didn't and here we are. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not exactly thrilled. However, I am cheap and on a fixed income, so I went for the most affordable option. Live and learn.

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

Tracks:

	Song	Album	Year	UK
1	Oblivious	High Land, Hard Rain	1983	18
2	Walk Out To Winter	High Land, Hard Rain	1983	64
3	Pillar To Post	High Land, Hard Rain	1983
4	All I Need Is Everything	Knife	1984	34
5	Still On Fire	Knife	1984	83
6	Deep And Wide And Tall	Love	1987	55
7	Paradise	Love	1987
8	Good Morning Britain (with Mick Jones)	Stray	1990	19
9	The Gentle Kind	Stray	1990
10	Spanish Horses	Dreamland	1993	52
11	The Belle Of The Ball	Dreamland	1993
12	Let Your Love Decide	Dreamland	1993
13	Rainy Season	Frestonia	1995
14	Sunset	Frestonia	1995

I don't think you'll be surprised to read that I prefer the cuts from the '80s, although the tracks from the '90s are "adequate."

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones (1956)

Note: the CD I listened to was a EU import of the 2007 Rudy Van Gelder Edition which includes 2 bonus tracks.

This was the first Blue Note release for Jones as a leader. While he later became more widely known for co-leading the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, The Magnificent Thad Jones remains a high point of his small-group work. According to the Blue Note website, the album "is widely regarded as the greatest small group recording of the trumpeter and composer’s career." The solos throughout make it seem the band was having a great time making the recording. The more I listen to this hard bop CD, the more I enjoy it.

Mono recording at the Van Gelder Studio on July 9 & 14, 1956. Original album liner notes by Leonard Feather and 2007 reissue liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.

Jones - trumpet
Billy Mitchell - tenor sax
Barry Harris - piano
Percy Heath - bass
Max Roach - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Billboard: "This is the greatest Jones album yet."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• DownBeat Jazz Bestsellers: #20

Tracks:

1. April In Paris: 1932 standard from the Broadway musical, Walk A Little Faster.
2. Billie-Doo: a Jones original
3. If I Love Again: 1933 song from the Broadway musical, Hold Your Horses.
4. If Someone Had Told Me: song from the 1952 movie musical, About Face.
5. Thedia: a Jones original

Bonus tracks:

6. I've Got A Crush On You: Gershwin standard from the 1928 Broadway musical, Treasure Girl.
7. Something To Remember You By: from the 1930 Broadway musical revue, Three's A Crowd.

While the original album is fantastic, I find myself preferring the two beautiful bonus tracks. The final cut, Something To Remember You By, is quite different than anything on the album as it features Jones with a muted trumpet accompanied only by Kenny Burrell on guitar. Sublime.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but when I made a weak attempt at being a magician as a prepubescent boy, I gave myself the nickname "Mark the Magnificent," so Thad and I have that commonality.

Paul McCartney - Driving Rain (2001)

It's not a bad album, it's just not that good - underproduced, undeveloped, lengthy, and hastily written. Add to that the clipping and compression that were popular at the time and even the better parts sound messy. Rightly or unrightly, we have high expectations for McCartney and this one just doesn't measure up. Metacritic has it at 75, which is about 20-30 points too high.

The recording sessions for this album introduced McCartney to guitarist Rusty Anderson and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., who continue to be a part of McCartney's touring band.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #26
• Billboard Top Album Sales: #26

Tracks: 16 tracks over 67 minutes and I believe it would have worked much better as a 10-11 track album. Save the remaining tunes as bonus cuts on the inevitable anniversary reissue. The better tracks are From A Lover To A Friend (#24 AC), and I Do. Your Loving Flame (#19 AC) sounds like a Wings track, while track 6, Tiny Bubbles, is the cut that sounds most like classic late '70s/early '80s McCartney pop. After the tragedy of 9/11, McCartney added an unlisted track to the end of the album entitled Freedom (#97 pop, #20 AC) which was released as a charity single. 

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Egypt Station (2018)	Press To Play (1986)
New (2013)	Give My Regards To Broad Street (1984)
Memory Almost Full (2007)	Pipes of Peace (1983)
Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (2005)	Tug of War (1982)
Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)	London Town (1978)
Wingspan Sampler (2001)	Wings at the Speed of Sound (1976)
Flaming Pie (1997)	Band On The Run (1973)
Unplugged: The Official Bootleg (1991)	Ram (1971)
All The Best! (1987)

Various Artists - I Heard It On NPR: Shake These Blues (2003)

A decent, enjoyable blues sampler. Tracks not selected in an effort to be comprehensive or focus on a sub-genre, but rather to spotlight music by artists who had been recently featured on a National Public Radio show such as All Things Considered and Morning Edition.

For more on the "I Heard It On NPR" series of CD releases: NPR Tunes Into Wider Exposure (Billboard, November 29, 2003). I missed the series back around the turn of the century, but couldn't pass up this CD when I saw it in a used bin. Added to my recent, growing collection of blues compilations. As I briefly mentioned last month, the Summer of 2025 will unofficially be "The Summer of Blues" here at blog headquarters.

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

Tracks:

	Artist	Title	Year
1	Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong	St. Louis Blues	1925
2	Muddy Waters	Mannish Boy	1955
3	Mississippi Fred McDowell	Good Morning Little School Girl	1959
4	Bonnie Raitt	No Gettin' Over You	2002
5	Alvin Youngblood Hart	How Long Before I Change My Clothes	2002
6	Otis Taylor	My Soul's In Louisiana	2001
7	Etta James	A Sunday Kind Of Love	1961
8	Buddy Guy	One Room Country Shack	1968
9	T-Bone Walker	Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)	1946
10	Robert Johnson	Love In Vain	1937
11	John Lee Hooker	Boogie Chillen'	1948
12	B. B. King	Rock Me Baby	1964
13	Shemekia Copeland	Not Tonight	2000
14	Susan Tedeschi	It Hurt So Bad	1998

Happy to be introduced to the Otis Taylor, Etta James, and Susan Tedeschi tunes.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

John Pizzarelli Meets The Beatles (1998)

Cover versions of Beatles tunes are a penny a dozen and jazz covers of Beatles tunes are a dime a dozen, but I really enjoy what's going on with this disc. A testament not only to Pizzarelli's playing and singing, but also to Don Sebesky's arranging skills.

In the album's liner notes by Jonathan Schwartz, then of New York City's WQEW radio, he writes

Pizzarelli has merged the language of the Nat Cole Trio with the sly catalogue of the Beatles. He has created the first bilingual album in English.

Hyperbole aside, the trio part is accurate, but there's also some big band to be found here as well. I'm glad I happened across it.

Reviews/ratings:

• DownBeat (★★★★): "These are jazzy, pop confections reminiscent of wide ties and bell-bottom suits, paisley and polka dots, fun, not profound."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz, 5th ed. (★★★): "makes the best go of jazzing John 'n' Paul that anyone ever has"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #25

I'm surprised this album didn't chart higher. There weren't a lot of CDs with original jazz compositions being sold at that time, so a Beatles covers album should have fit right in to the milieu. See for yourself:

A lot of various artists compilations (4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 16, 18, & 22), reissues/repackaging (8, 11), tribute albums (1, 3, 14, 19, 21, 25), and standards albums (9, 15). That leaves just seven albums with mostly newly written music (2, 5, 13, 17, 20, 23, & 24). But I digress.

Tracks: You get both the tracks you'd expect (Here Comes The Sun, And I Love Her) alongside those you might not (I've Just Seen A Face, Things We Said Today). An instrumental thrown in for good measure (Eleanor Rigby). Almost all the tracks are enjoyable, the only skippable tracks are Get Back and the schmaltzy Long And Winding Road.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

The 5th Dimension - Ultimate (2004)

A stellar compilation from the vocal group known for its rich harmonies and fusion of pop, soul, and psychedelic music, often with socially conscious lyrics. One of the hottest groups from the late '60s/early '70s, I remember them being regulars on TV variety shows. Not only were their vocals great, they were smart enough to choose strong material from songwriters like Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, and most notably, Jimmy Webb and Laura Nyro. I should also note that the backing group on many of these tracks is The Wrecking Crew. I listen to this music and suddenly I'm 6 years old again, riding in the back of a yellow station wagon, listening to the AM radio, and belting "Up-Up And Away" at the top of my lungs.

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

Tracks:

	Song	Year	Pop	R&B	AC
1	Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)	1969	1	6	1
2	Stoned Soul Picnic	1968	3	2
3	Up-Up And Away	1967	7		9
4	One Less Bell To Answer	1970	2	4	1
5	Sweet Blindness	1968	13	45
6	Puppet Man	1970	24		31
7	If I Could Reach You	1972	10		1
8	Go Where You Wanna Go	1967	16
9	The Worst That Could Happen/Wedding Bell Blues*	1969	1	23	1
10	Paper Cup	1967	34
11	(Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All	1972	8	28	2
12	Blowing Away	1970	21		7
13	The Girls' Song	1970	43		6
14	Carpet Man	1968	29
15	Love's Lines, Angles And Rhymes	1971	19	28	6
16	Ashes To Ashes	1973	52	54	7
17	Save The Country	1970	27	41	10
18	California Soul	1968	25		49
19	Never My Love (live)	1971	12	45	1
20	Workin' On A Groovy Thing	1969	20	15	9
21	Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye	1973	previously unreleased

*single featured Wedding Bell Blues alone

Missing Top 40 tracks: Together Let's Find Love (#37, 1972) and Living Together, Growing Together (#32, 1973).

The song Up-Up And Away, written by Jimmy Webb, won an incredible five Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Performance by a Vocal Group, Best Contemporary Group Performance (Vocal or Instrumental), and Best Contemporary Single. The group later won another Grammy Award in the category of Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I was in 6th grade at Burnet Elementary School during the 1977-78 school year, my classmates and I would meet once a week with a young music teacher named Mrs. Kincaid, who very possibly could have been a first-year teacher that year. Looking back, Mrs. Kincaid wasn't much of a music teacher, but she was a great teacher (if that makes any sense). Music theory/notation wasn't mentioned the entire year and we never played any instruments during class. All I remember doing is singing along with her as she played guitar.

Sometime during the spring of 1978, there was a talent show put together for a PTA meeting or the school or both. Somehow I got tapped to sing Barry Manilow's Mandy while she accompanied me. I did it willingly - I think I even chose the song myself - and I must have done well based on the reactions. Mrs. Kincaid believed in me and always encouraged me to perform, even pulling me out of regular classes every now and then to sing for other classes (I specifically remember the giggling of 2nd graders at the line "well you kissed me and stopped me from shaking"). Mrs. Kincaid saw something in me I hadn't seen in myself and built me up - which should be a goal of any teacher.

So what's all that got to do with the music on this CD? I remember just a few of the songs we sang that year as Mrs. Kincaid strummed along: The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) (Simon & Garfunkel), The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band), Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles), and Save The Country, track 17 on this disc.

Thanks, Mrs. Kincaid, wherever you are.

Eric Gale - Blue Horizon (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

A prolific studio musician, Gale also played with Stuff. This was his seventh solo album and his only release on the Elektra/Musician label. As described in promotional material:

The effort to blend blues and reggae is prevalent throughout the album, usually in the form of Gale playing blues licks over a reggae-lite groove. Sometimes successful, other times not, but A for effort. Still, it doesn't hold together as an album. Pleasant enough but nothing particularly memorable.

Original liner notes, written by Gale.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Jazz: #20
• CashBox Jazz: #22
• Radio & Records Jazz: #29

Tracks: The title track features Hugh Masekela and there are a trio of tracks with vocals from guitarist Mark Mazur. My top picks are Blue Horizon, When Tokyo?, and the upbeat 97th & Columbus. The latter is the only track on the album that sounds anything like Gale's music with Stuff. The most daring track is Call Me At The Same number, which is a reggae tune which moves from 4/4 to 6/4 & 7/4 at the chorus. Doesn't work for me, but the band seems to like the groove.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Ginseng Woman/Multiplication (1977)