THE HEADPHONE TRAVELER: Collectors' Choice Music

Hey, gang! SPAZ here!

On this edition of THE HEADPHONE TRAVELER, I'm going to give you a rundown on some of Collectors' Choice Music's latest reissues....

Now, I may have my preferences when it comes right down to my favorite types of music, but my insatiable appetite to hear as much music as possible has allowed me to expand my views and even change my opinions on certain styles of music...

With this batch of Collectors' Choice reissues, I was able to revisit some old musical acquaintances from my past and visit some folks that I missed first time around....

NED DOHENY's self-titled album from 1973 is like visiting an old friend from your grade school days: you may not remember him, but once his music washes over you, it begins to take you back to a time long-forgotten but fondly remembered! Like fellow songwriter Jackson Browne, Ned was one of the first acts to sign with David Geffen's Asylum Records. He shares Browne's knack for writing intelligent songs that may seem lightweight on the surface, but allow yourself to dig deeper and the tracks will drag you down into a deeper, more meaningful place. There are hints of The Eagles, CSN, The Doobies and Steely Dan floating around in the mix, but Doheny stops short of sounding like anyone else and ends up sounding much more confident in remaining himself....

Former Byrds drummer GENE PARSONS may have been a very talented musician, but, to be honest, there were not many people expecting much when he released his Kindling album in 1973. The truth of the matter is that many folks didn't even get a chance to hear this full length platter, as it got lost amongst the glut of that year's releases (teen pop, Glam Rock and whatever else was flavor of the month). Over three decades later, this reissue is hopefully going to help give Gene the credit he deserves. Kindling is an authentic slice of Country Rock that features stabs at Bluegrass and everything that lies in between the two genres. This isn't the sound of a musician going through the motions: this is honest and real with emotions that range from joyful to melancholic. It's enough to make you wonder why you never heard it before. Kindling goes a long way in proving that Ringo wasn't the only drummer releasing worthwhile solo albums in the '70s. Maybe I should go give those Cozy Powell albums another listen...

For many Rock fans, Disco was the epitome of overindulgence, both on record and behind the scenes. In fact, most Rock fans enjoyed Disco as much as they enjoyed having their fingers chewed off by rabid rats. Well, I'm glad to say that I LOVE Rock and I LOVE Disco. I think most musical genres has something valid and noteworthy to offer, whether I like it personally or not. (Well, except Emo. But that is another subject altogether.) When Peter Brown released "Do You Want To Get Funky With Me?" during the Disco craze, he became a one-man sensation, shifting a million copies of the single alone! While the clubs loved what he was doing, he barely registered on the popular radar. It wasn't until the '80s when his song "Material Girl" was recorded by some chick named Madonna did he cross over into the Pop charts. Stargazer, released in 1979, came out between those two milestones, but stands up on it's own as a Pop album with an incessent Disco beat. Brown isn't trying to sound 'black' on Stargazer, he's just blending his Chicago Pop roots together with his love and understanding of late '70s Dance music. In fact, if Billy Joel had decided to make a Disco record instead of a New Wave album when he released Glass Houses, it may have sounded like Stargazer. Fancy tunes, swelling strings and a good beat: that's what Peter Brown's Stargazer is all about...

Everyone loves to laugh and Bill Dana's My Name... Jose Jimenez will make you laugh, even though you'll also feel a little uncomfortable. As funny as his character was (and is), Bill Dana would never be able to bring Jose Jimenez to life in today's overly politically-correct world, which is a real shame. This album features Dana portraying his Jimenez character in sketches lifted directly from the Steve Allen Show and it remains extremely funny throughout. Each sketch features the same types of jokes and set-ups, but is always a hoot. Old fashioned, clean comedy will never go out of style. Here is an actually sketch featured on the album...

That's it for today, folks! Stay tuned for some more groovy blog posts... and even more from The Headphone Traveler... coming soon!

SPAZ's LABEL PROFILE: el Records

Welcome to the first in a series of blogs where I turn the spotlight away from the artists and the releases and focus on the indie labels responsible for their existence.

Today's label is: el (distributed by Cherry Red in the UK)

According to their website, “el is one of only a handful of genuinely original and important record labels in the history of popular music” and I do wholeheartedly agree. There have not been many labels that have a ‘style’ that is instantly identifiable and yet each and every release is different from what came before and what came after. To classify the label is like trying to sum up your life experiences in three words or less: it can’t be done!
Over two decades after Mike Alway started el, they remain everything that a label should be: unpredictable, unafraid and unashamed by anything on their roster.

Here’s what others have had to say about the label:

"el records is a world where The Avengers' John Steed forever seems to be creative controller and Emma Peel works the A&R department."-Record Mirror
"The melodies, the phrasing, the enthusiasm and ambition are all here plus a mysterious sexuality, a tropic of Ruislip classy vulgarity."-Andy Darling, Melody Maker, 1988
"Alway is a man out of time-part Kim Fowley, part Kim Philby and el is his unashamed indulgence."-Bruce Dessau, NME, March 1988
"Alway is that rare breed - a man who knows a record should always look good."-Jane Solanas , NME, November 26 1988

Luckily, I was able to catch up with el’s Mike Alway and dig a little deeper into the label’s psyche…

SPAZ: Before starting el, were you an avid music collector? If so, what types of music were you collecting?
MIKE ALWAY: Music captured my imagination in childhood. The first record I purchased was “She's Not There” by The Zombies in 1964. Its light jazziness rubbed off on me; an underlying style that stayed with me for decades. I was always inquisitive about music (without actually being a record collector) and suddenly found myself as the boy in school with the hip, alternative albums.

SPAZ: What inspired you to start up el? Was there a label you admired? Or perhaps a music genre that you felt was not well-represented on the market? MA: Verve was the label I most admired. I was impressed by the eclecticism of their mid-‘60s roster. There seemed to be a little of everything, all of it daring. The Mothers of Invention, Astrud Gilberto, The Velvet Underground, Gary McFarland and Ella Fitzgerald, all under one roof, struck me as remarkable and I sought to emulate that expansiveness in my own work.

SPAZ: How did you go about picking the name of the label?
MA: I wanted a word that was completely neutral. a word that meant nothing. A word that suggested possibility and that might look good as a graphic. Perhaps a word rather like dada? So, inspired by Luis Bunuel’s film about a Spanish aristocrat driven mad by jealousy, I decided on el.

SPAZ: When did the label first start operations?
MA: 1985, whilst still within the bosom of Blanco Y Negro. Within a year, el became owned by Cherry Red and remains that way today.

SPAZ: When you first set up the label, what were your initial goals? And do you feel you've achieved those goals so far?
MA: By the mid-‘80s, I was convinced that traditional rock music had run its course and had nothing more to say. So I determined to create a new vernacular and a completely original look and to project it through el. The emphasis of the songwriting was on Mediterranean culture, food and drink and forms of escapism through art and travel. I was heavily influenced by the Technicolor fantasies of Powell and Pressburger and the patrician and sometimes absurd comic humour of Terry-Thomas, Richard Briers and Leonard Rossiter (the latter specifically in the role of Reginald Perrin).
As for the look, we borrowed from the photographer Angus McBean, the cinematography of Jack Cardiff and the designers, Charles and Ray Eames.
I approached music as a director might film and, yes, we were successful in creating records that at very least could not possibly have existed on any other label. Choirboys Gas by Bad Dream Fancy Dress and The Camera Loves Me by The Would be Goods are two of titles of which I am most proud. They are quintessential el.

SPAZ: How do you go about picking the titles that you release?
MA: I would dream up a song title (say, "Cecil Beaton's Scrapbook"), offer a framework for a scenario and a suggest musical context (maybe a pastiche of Hermans Hermits with a touch of flamenco guitar or the Doors plus schoolgirls) and the writer would bring it to life.

SPAZ: Is there an elusive album out there that you have been eager to reissue but haven't been able to get the rights to?
MA: I’d love to properly restore, in all its glory, Dudley Moore’s brilliant score for the film Bedazzled. It simply IS the ‘60s.

SPAZ: Is there a particular artist (or artists) out there that you would love to have on your roster?
MA: Scott Walker, Robyn Hitchcock, Van Dyke Parks.... Keith Floyd (spoken word recipes with one song at the beginning of the album and one at the end)

SPAZ: If you had a choice, would you prefer to reissue an album as it was originally released or do you like the opportunity of adding bonus tracks?
MA: So long as the centerpiece of the restoration isn't obscured, I like to be as expansive as possible. Most el editions are of generous length. It's not merely the offering of value for money but the wish to bask in and celebrate the art of the subject

SPAZ: Which format do you personally prefer? (CD/Vinyl/Cassette/MP3)
MA: Much of el's reputation is based on the attractiveness of it's vinyl presentations.but CDs can also be beautifully realized.

SPAZ: As a collector and music lover, how do you view the current music scene?
MA: Today, the industry needs individualism more than ever. There should be more emphasis on creativity (of joy in arts and culture) and less on "attitude" and "celebrity".

SPAZ: How do you view the idea of a future filled with download-only releases? Don't you feel that collectors will always want to physically own the music that they purchase?
MA: There will always be a market for a superior three dimensional product so the design aspect of what we do is going to become ever more important.

SPAZ: Do you see the resurgence in the popularity of vinyl growing?
MA: As a nice artifact to have around the house. why not?

SPAZ: At the end of the day, do you have a particular personal favorite amongst your own label releases?
MA: Of the records el has re-issued, the 2008 anthology, Sketch for Summer by Gary McFarland and Gabor Szabo embodies much of what matters to me and is certainly up there amongst my favorites. Of the records we have created, the Bad Dream Fancy Dress album. It's intelligent and full of humour. It's like nothing else on earth.

SPAZ: What would you like people to know about the label?
MA: That an el record is primarily a sensual experience.

SPAZ: How can our readers contact the label with suggestions, comments and praise?
MA: Via el's parent company Cherry Red: infonet@cherryred.co.uk . I reply to all communications personally.

Other recommended el releases:

Too Good To Be True: The Very Best Of el Records

And here are just some of the great artists you can find on the label:

Anthony Adverse

Andres Segovia

Antonio Carlos Jobim

Bad Dream Fancy Dress

Baden Powell & Vinicius De Moraes

Brigitte Bardot

Chad & Jeremy

Chet Atkins

Cowsills

David Axelrod

Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart

Gilberto Gil

Serge

Ventures

Vincent Price

And more! Click here for the complete el discography

Your roving reporter,
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

MENTAL AS ANYTHING/Tents Up Review

Three decades after they released their debut album, MENTAL AS ANYTHING are still around, thank goodness. Even the most mundane Mentals track is better than half the stuff out there... not that there are many mundane Mentals tracks to begin with!

Just out is their BRAND NEW album, Tents Up, and here's what I had to say about it on All Music Guide!

" On August 16th, 1977, Elvis Presley died. On that same day, in Australia, Mental As Anything played their first gig. So, here it is, 32 years later and the Mentals are still touring and releasing new music, but things have changed. At the beginning of the millennium, bassist Peter O’Doherty and guitarist Reg Mombassa left the band, the first Mentals line-up change in over two decades.
Following 2001’s uneven Beetroot Stains album, drummer Dave Twohill was ousted from the band and vocalist/guitarist Martin Plaza and keyboardist/vocalist Greedy Smith remained the Mentals’ only original members. Their next release, Roadcase in 2002, suffered the same unfocused fate as the previous year’s album.
The band began to slowly recover by issuing Plucked in 2005, an album of acoustic renditions of their past hits, and they continued to tour. Now, seven years after their last real studio album, the band returns with Tents Up, an album that may not return them to their glory days (’81-’85), but is certainly their best album since 1995’s Liar Liar Pants On Fire.
Martin and Greedy remain masters of the pop song, able to knock out wonderful melodies and make it sound so damn easy. While there doesn’t seem to be a bonafide modern Top 40 chart hit on the album, that’s only because the band are sticking to their guns and recording a Mental As Anything album and, for the first time in a decade, aren’t trying to mess with the formula. “Moaning Lisa”, “Covered In Women”, “Lazy”, “She Could’ve Been Mine”, “Blues Guys” and “Karaoke Hostess” are all worthy additions to the band’s vast catalog.
On the band’s two previous studio albums, ‘new’ recruit David ‘Duck’ Barraclough was allowed to contribute songs and, while he was obviously talented, his style didn’t fit the typical Mentals sound. On Tents Up, his contributions (“I Know You Will” and “Easy”) fit quite nicely into the Mentals mix and are also standouts on the album.
While the band are not as musically playful as they were on albums like Cats & Dogs and Creatures Of Leisure, they make up for it lyrically with plenty of witty moments that hold up over repeated listens (“Loving you is like a rodeo/Bucking hard all the time”). Old mate Reg turns up to play guitar on a few tracks, sounding as great as ever (he’s now in Dog Trumpet with O’Doherty, his brother).
I must admit that, on first listen, the album sounded a bit too safe, but it really opens up after a few spins and takes the listener for a fun ride. Welcome back, Mental As Anything!"

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

THE FARMER'S BOYS/Get Out And Walk Review

Well, Cherry Red has done it again! One of the absolute finest and most overlooked albums of the '80s has finally seen a fitting and well deserved release on CD:

THE FARMER'S BOYS' Get Out And Walk!

Here's what I had to say about it on All Music Guide:

"Sometimes, I can bang my head against the wall, wondering why certain bands ‘make it’, while other more talented combos get overlooked and, ultimately, forgotten. And often times, the band that faded into obscurity created music that stands the test of time decades down the line. Such is the case with British pop quartet The Farmer’s Boys.
The band (Baz, Stan, Mark and Frog) were certainly a bright spot on the music scene back in 1983 when they signed with EMI after a handful of indie singles. Their sound was certainly original: imagine Edwyn Collins and his Orange Juice mates jamming with The Human League’s keyboardist (complete with programmed drums) and you’ve got more than a basic idea. Add a little bit of The Smiths, a dab of Country & Western and you’ve got The Farmer’s Boys. And yes, they really do sound that cool!
Get Out And Walk was the band’s 1983 debut album and what a debut it was! It had jangly guitars, jolly melodies, catchy synth riffs, acoustic strums, danceable beats and, to top it all off, Baz’s Morrissey-like croon floating above it all. The album was fun and extremely infectious with more cool tunes per minute than 75% of the albums that came out that year.
For some reason, insanely catchy cuts like “For You”, “More Than A Dream”, “Matter Of Fact”, “Wailing Wall” and “Woke Up This Morning” didn’t receive massive airplay in the UK when they so rightly deserved it. Even the funk-heavy “Soft Drink” (with Baz in falsetto mode) didn’t make its way to the dancefloors around Europe like it should have. Yes, the band did see some chart success, but usually just out of the Top 40, which meant they barely received much-needed television exposure.
Get Out And Walk was one of the coolest records released during the ‘80s but, for whatever reason, it just didn’t click with their intended audience. Perhaps it was the band’s lack of image? Maybe because the band never really took themselves too seriously? Or it could just be a matter of bad luck?
In any case, the album still sounds fabulous today, mainly due to the songs, which will please fans of great ‘80s guitar pop. Even synth fans can find a lot to love about The Farmer’s Boys! And with this Cherry Red reissue, there are 10 bonus tracks that make it an absolutely essential purchase. The bonus tracks include non-album singles, b-sides and three extended remixes lifted from the bonus EP that came from initial pressings of the LP. Looking back, 26 years after I bought the original import vinyl LP on a whim, it was, to quote one of the band’s song titles, “probably one of the best investments I ever made”!"

I sure do hope that they plan on releasing the band's second (and final) album, With These Hands, too!

Stephen SPAZ Schnee