1975 Deep Dive: Part Two

      I suppose the most interesting thing about albums 16-20 is that there are two records that feature Ian's. I hadn't intended that, but sometimes things just work out that way. Apart from that, there are no similarities between these artists whatsoever. There's a prog band, an eccentric genius, some studio perfectionists, an American rock band that I generally dislike, and one of my favorite singers. Let the countdown continue.

20. JETHRO TULL - Minstrel in the Gallery ( 4.0 Stars )

     The first Ian has been revealed. Yes, rock flautist Ian Anderson's band Jethro Tull comes in at #20. Jethro Tull are mostly a singles band for me. I inherited many of their albums a couple years ago and only kept Aqualung. This album was not among them. I enjoyed Minstrel quite a bit during this dive, despite the lack of "hits". Guitarist Martin Barre really stands out on this release. Anderson's vocals are powerful and he stands unchallenged as rock's master of the flute. I really didn't expect this to make the list, but it turned out to be a pleasant listen. I don't think I could ever make it through a whole Jethro Tull deep dive, though. 

19. IAN HUNTER - S/T ( 4.0 Stars )

     And the second Ian has now been revealed. Ian Hunter is my fifth favorite vocalist. He's a singular storyteller and his style is brashly over the top. One thing I've noticed during this dive is that many studio versions of classic songs pale in comparison to the live versions. "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" is one of those. It's still a fantastic track, but I prefer it live. This record also features Mick Ronson on guitar, who steals the show on the track, "The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nuthin' But the Truth". When I listen to Ian Hunter, I feel like I'm listening to someone who's living their best life...no apologies. 

18. AEROSMITH - Toys in the Attic ( 4.0 Stars )

     I don't really like Aerosmith, but I'm not a monster. Toys in the Attic is a certified classic album. If I was being objective, it's probably a 4.5 or 5 star record. When I was in college, we played the hell out of this, but it doesn't hold quite the same charm for 2025 me. I've heard "Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion" a million times too many. Some of the deep cuts, like "Uncle Salty", "Adam's Apple" and "No More, No More", still hold up quite nicely. And who doesn't love the ham handed double entendre of "Big Ten Inch Record". Too bad Aerosmith had that career revival in the late 80's and early 90's. That shit sucked. Oops, I guess I am a monster. 

17. FRANK ZAPPA - One Size Fits All ( 4.0 Stars )

     Somehow, Zappa keeps making it on my lists even though I'm not a huge fan. One Size Fits All is just that. It's a fairly normal record by Zappa standards. It features the opening track, "Inca Roads", which may be his most impressive composition in a vast catalog. Frank's guitar playing on this album is incendiary, particularly on a song like "Po-Jama People". I've enjoyed these Zappa albums in the context of yearly deep dives, but I don't think I could make it through all his albums in one go. 

16. STEELY DAN - Katy Lied ( 4.0 Stars )

     I love Steely Dan. They're such an unusual "band". Fagen and Becker had a singular musical vision and hired the hottest session players, Wrecking Crew style, to bring that vision to life. Seriously, the playing credits on Katy Lied are incredible. Jeff Porcaro and David Paich of Toto, Michael McDonald on backing vocals, Chuck Rainey on bass, Phil Woods on sax, and Larry Carlton and Ric Derringer on guitar, just to name a few. The album features all-timers like, "Black Friday", "Bad Sneakers", and "Doctor Wu". I would probably have it rated higher, but it does tail off quite a bit on Side Two. Still, it's pretty, pretty good. Peace.

1975 Deep Dive: Part One

     Somehow, I managed to compile a decent Top 25 album list for 1975. It was one of those years that had a wealth of great songs and a treasure trove of weird, unlistenable records. I'm looking at you Sparks, 10CC, and Split Enz. It was a mixed bag from artists I usually like. Some of the disappointments were The Kinks, Black Sabbath, and Bowie. On the bright side, I had some 4 Star albums that missed the cut; Jefferson Starship's Red Octopus, Styx Equinox, Foghat's Fool For the City, Doobie Brothers' Stampede, Miles Davis' Agharta, Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert, Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner, and Steve Hillage. I even have an interesting bookend situation at #1 and #25. There are also 11 first time listens in my Top 25. And half of my Mt. Rushmore changed. My 21-25 is an interesting mix of artists. Here we go. 

25. MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND- Nightingales and Bombers ( 4.0 Stars )

     I know very little about this band besides they recorded an exceptional cover of Springsteen's "Blinded by the Light". Turns out, they previously covered Springsteen on this album. Turns out, "Spirits in the Night" is also the best song on this album. I had assumed that Manfred Mann was the singer, but it turns out Mick Rogers handles the vocals and plays one mean guitar. He is the most surprising discovery of this dive. Mann's organ and synth playing aren't bad either. I should probably listen to their 1976 release, The Roaring Silence, since I actually own it. It's weird that Mick Rogers was replaced by two guys on that album. He did rejoin in 1983, however. 

24. THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME - Believe It ( 4.0 Stars )

     While this album is probably classified as jazz, it's more of a jazz-rock record. For one, Tony Williams' drumming style here is even more dynamic, and rock influenced. Secondly, Believe It features Allan Holdsworth on guitar. And it's produced by Bruce Botnick. The opening track, "Snake Oil", is quite King Crimson adjacent. These are two musicians playing at the top of their game. Do yourself a favor. 

23. BOB SEGER - Beautiful Loser ( 4.0 Stars )

     This is the album Seger was touring when he recorded Live Bullet, and there's no arguing that songs like the title track, "Katmandu", "Travelin' Man", and "Nutbush City Limits" sound much better live. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic album. I might be biased as a native Michigander, but I like it. Beautiful Loser and Live Bullet are all the Bob Seger anyone needs, though. 

22. NEIL YOUNG - Tonight's the Night ( 4.0 Stars )

     If you want to understand me, there are two Neil Young albums in this Top 25 and this is the lowest ranked, and there are no records by Stephen Stills, Crosby and Nash, The Eagles, or Dylan. That about sums up my taste in music. Technically this was recorded before 1975, but it was released that year. There's just enough random Crazy Horse contribution here to make this album better than most crap in 1975, but not enough to be better than Zuma. The track, "Albuquerque" comes pretty close. 

21. RUSH - Fly By Night ( 4.0 Stars )

     What would a Sound Mind Deep Dive be without a RUSH album. There were two in 1975, but one of them was Caress of Steel. Fly By Night marks the recording debut of Neil Peart as the drummer, and equally important, the lyricist. He comes right out of the gate with "Anthem"; a straight up rocker with literate lyrics. The title track is an autobiographical song about his move to the UK to make it in music, only to end up back in Canada. Lucky for all of us that he did and auditioned for RUSH. Fly By Night also features the fan favorite, and live staple, "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"; a prog epic inspired by two actual dogs. Of course, there has to be a Lord of the Rings song (Rivendell). The album closes out with "In the End", which starts out as a beautiful, acoustic number, then Alex kicks in with the power chords. This was the beginning of a 40 year musical journey that touched a lot of people's lives. Thanks Geddy and Alex. Rest in Peace Neil. You guys were the best. Peace. 

     

1975: Kill Me Now

      I really thought this 1975 dive was going to be a blast. This is the year my compulsion for buying records began. The radio was full of great songs. But other than a handful of 5 star albums, 1975 is a wasteland of albums ranging from alright to God awful. I'm actually on the verge of abandoning this dive. I'm about two-thirds of the way through my listening list, and as of now, Styx will be in my Top 25. I've resorted to grading these albums on a 1975 curve. 

     Even artists I really like put out sub standard records in 1975. There were two, count 'em, two horrible albums by The Kinks that I couldn't even bring myself to rate. RUSH put out two albums, one good, one horrible. Same with Elton John. I listened to Sabotage by Black Sabbath for the first time and didn't care for it. The solo albums by Steve Howe and Steve Hackett were fine, but disappointing. I forced myself to listen to a technically fine, but boring as hell album by The Grateful Dead. I was even going to attempt listening to Tom Waits, until I read some reviews of his 1975 album and changed my mind. I'm down to mostly jazz and obscure prog, so I'm not holding out much hope for miracles. I still have KC and the Sunshine Band on my list and I'm terrified I might give it 5 Stars out of desperation. Peace.

1975: Early Impressions

      In the early days of Sound Mind, I was quite forthcoming with my disdain for Bob Dylan. Since then, I have tried to have an open mind about Zimmerman. When one of the You Tubers from Tastes Like Music began a video series documenting his attempt to "get" Dylan, I tried to play along. I couldn't do it. On all of these Deep Dives I've been doing, I've listened to whatever Dylan albums came out those years. None of them have made the cut. But surely, 1975's Blood on the Tracks would make my Top 25. It's the critics consensus Number 1 album that year. Many consider it his best. What am I missing?

     Dylan released two albums in 1975, Blood on the Tracks, and The Basement Tapes with The Band. I gave both of them 3.5 Stars. Truthfully, even though I'm not a huge fan of The Band, I felt the Basements Tapes was slightly more interesting and varied. I'd never listen to either of them again, however. I'm only 22 albums  into my 1975 listening and I've already got Joni Mitchell, two Neil Young's, Patti Smith, Springsteen, Elton John, and McCartney all light years ahead of Dylan. How is Dylan so revered when Joni Mitchell exists in the World. She is 10 times the storyteller and her vocal delivery is fascinating. Her voice is mesmerizing and her compositions are exquisite. After I get through this 1975 dive, I'm going to dive into Joni's catalog. 

     Of course, I jinxed myself again regarding my 1975 Mt. Rushmore. There are already at least two albums that are going to move up to my top four, and one of my Mt. Rushmore's probably won't even make my Top 25 after a reassessment. I still have about 80 more albums to get through, so it may be a while before that is revealed. I'm going to attempt to squeeze some other posts in here, but I want to get through these 1975 albums as soon as possible. After the big hitters, it promises to be an eclectic Top 25. Peace.

Settling In

      We moved into our new house two weeks ago and I have my records and gear mostly set up. I just got back from my second trip to Used Kids Records. I picked up a 2023 reissue of Miles Davis' Sorcerer, which is numbered and on green vinyl, and a used copy of Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes soundtrack. On my first visit, I picked up the last two Connections records I needed to complete the Columbus band's discography in my collection, and a used copy of Golden Earring's Moontan. In addition, I got a copy of the remastered Revolver album for Father's day from my daughter. So, I'm already off to a solid start collecting in a new city. There are plenty of record stores to explore, but Used Kids has the reputation of being the best. Spoonful will probably be my next stop. Now that I'm getting settled in, I should be posting on a regular basis again shortly. The next big project will be a 1975 Deep Dive. I'm working on my listening list and will begin digging in later today. I don't expect my Mt. Rushmore to change, but I'll keep an open mind. I also need to decide if I'll be considering live albums. I generally don't like to, but there are some good ones in 1975. Stay tuned. Peace.

The Purge

      No, this isn't a post about the movie franchise. It's the conclusion of the process of downsizing my music collection before we move to Columbus. The journey was difficult, emotional, and cathartic. In the end, I kept more CDs than I had originally intended, but still sent about 550 on to new homes. That, combined with about 150 albums, meant I got rid of about a third of my physical music collection. I still have 1200 records and 300 CDs to move, which is still daunting. At first, I was going to just take cash for my stuff, but, in the moment ,I elected to take part cash, and part trade. So, I did add a few items into my collection. Those items are:

1. PINK FLOYD AT POMPEII

     This is the new remastering of Pink Floyd's iconic performance in the ruins of an ancient amphitheater. This is the first legit album release of this performance and I'm going to spin it after I finish this post. Of course, I've seen the movie and the songs are fantastic. I'm also going to circle back and get that Nick Mason live album. It has a great version of the Syd Barrett era track, "Lucifer Sam". 

2. OASIS - DEFINITELY, MAYBE

     I had been putting off picking this up, but with trade credit I finally pulled the trigger. One of the all-time great debut albums. 

3. KING CRIMSON - RED

     I posted about this in my 1974 series. Tremendous album.

4. DINOSAUR JR - EAR BLEEDING COUNTRY

     I didn't purge this CD, but ended up getting the 2xLP set anyway. I love this comp and it's pressed on black and white splatter vinyl. 

5. ELF POWER - WHEN THE RED KING COMES

     Elf Power are a band from the Elephant 6 collective, which also included Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, among others. This reissue also came with a bonus 7". 

6. RIK EMMETT - DIAMONDS

     Rik Emmett was the guitarist and co-vocalist of the Canadian band Triumph. I took a flyer on this album. It's a best of comp from the early part of Rik's solo career, which I'm not familiar with at all. I guess the time to take a flyer is when you have credit. It should be good, though.

7. PROCOL HARUM - S/T

     I've been looking for a copy of this for a while. Coincidentally, the Record Den had a pile of records that someone else had just brought in and this was on top of the stack. It was meant to be. 

     I put back a few things that I will probably go back for before we move; Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark, The Beatles - Revolver remaster, and the aforementioned Nick Mason. I may have down-sized, but I'm still a collector. Peace.

Jill Sobule R.I.P.

      Last week, I meant to publish a post on The Fixx because my wife and I went to see them at the Kent Stage recently. It was a great show and the opening act was Jill Sobule doing a solo, acoustic set. My wife wasn't familiar with her and I was only vaguely aware that she had a song in the 90's, "I Kissed a Girl". It turns out, she was a delightful performer and was promoting a musical, "Fuck 7th Grade". It's a biographical telling of her queer journey. The songs were hilarious, yet touching. Her performance was almost childlike, but her playing was quite skilled. 

     So, it came as a shock just days later when The Fixx posted online that Jill had passed away suddenly. Apparently, she died in a house fire. Tributes came pouring in from artists she had worked with and more still who were dear friends. Among them Jane Weidlen of The Go-Gos and Joan Osborne. I had no idea how many people she touched in the music industry or the number of artists she collaborated with. I'm not going to pretend I was a big fan and her music really isn't in my wheelhouse, but she was an engaging performer who meant a lot to many people. I'm glad I was able to see her in her element, making people smile for a few minutes in a shitty world. Peace.

     Just a quick note on The Fixx. I have never seen anyone command the stage like Cy Curnin. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His voice is still singular. His lyrics are even more biting than they were 40 years ago. His movements were mesmerizing. And a shout out to guitarist, Jamie West-Oram. I love his signature guitar sound that features staccato notes, strumming muted strings, and shimmering arpeggios. The highlight was "Stand or Fall" and "Deeper and Deeper" back to back. Amazing show!