Digging In The Magazine Box: Vitamix-1984 (cassette review)

Awhile back I transcribed an article about hip-hop from the Pacific Northwest circa 1985, featuring Sir Mix-A-Lot and Vitamix. The former would gain attention outside of the area, while Vitamix's glory remained more low-key.

When I moved from Hawai'i in 1984, Vitamix was one of the first names I became familiar with as a representative of rap music in this new place I called home. One could keep track of his tapes and shows by reading The Rocket but unfortunately I never got a chance to hear any of his work.

This is a review that I've kept all of these years, from The Rocket circa 1984 for his 1984 release.



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CD Review: Joy Of Cooking

Joy Of Cooking
Back To Your Heart
(njoy)

Joy Of Cooking may not have been as massively popular as some of their contemporaries, but back in their heyday that type of stardom really didn't matter, as it wasn't an issue. The band, fronted by singer/songwriters Terry Garthwaite and Toni Brown, combined folk, country, rock, and a bit of the blues that helped defined who they were as a band, which lead to them being signed to Capitol. In time the group would split, and each lady would go on with successful solo careers. As attention towards rootsy music, what some might call Americana, has increased in the last five years, both of them decided to unite and put together tracks for this double CD of unreleased material.

Back To Your Heart (njoy) will please many Joy Of Cooking fans who have wanted something extra from the band. Disc one consists of studio or home recordings. The studio recordings sound as powerful as those which did make it onto the album, and were probably left off because back then, an album had to have the industry standard of 10 songs. They could've pulled a Johnny Winter and released 3-sided albums but the songs are that good. The band, especially bassist David Garthwaite and drummer Fritz Kasten, are incredible to hear and it shows why they were a favorite among many bands throughout California.

Side 2 is an amazing unreleased live set recorded at Berkeley in 1972, as they perform in front of a home crowd. "Humpty Dumpty", "If Some God", and "Laugh, Don't Laugh" show how they expanded their palette and went in for the kill, so to speak. Proof of this can be heard in the 11 minute "Brownsville/Mockingbird", and you can sense that the crowd were on their feet the entire time (with the exception of those who were just vibing out on good times and good people). Terry Garthwaite is and has always been a powerhouse on the vocals, whether it's a sensitive ballad or a borderline rocker, and Toni Brown always revealed herself to be someone deserving to be called a true artist. As they both show in "Brownsville/Mockingbird", when perfect harmony happens between two people, or a band and the audience, it sounds so natural.

After hearing this, one can hear the influence they've had on countless bands today, whether it is female-oriented folk, country or rock, or even jam bands who are able to hear the fun and glory of the chemistry Joy Of Cooking had with each other. No mastering engineer is credited, but whoever did them did a great job in transferring the original master tapes to the digital realm. For some fans, any group who were appreciated by the Grateful Dead was more than enough reason to take them on as a personal favorite. Old and new fans can find out why with this double CD.

(Back To Your Heart) is available from CDBaby.)

CD Review: Jethro Tull's THE BEST OF ACOUSTIC JETHRO TULL

Jethro Tull
The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull
(EMI)

Jethro Tull are one of those bands over the years that longtime fans will always find endearing. Turn on the radio, and you will generally hear the songs known for their powerful riffs, be it "Aqualung" or "Cross-Eyed Mary". But the diehard Tull fans know that some of the best songs are the ones that don't get much recognition, those album tracks that meant listening to an album and consuming it in full.

Tull fans also know that along with those powerful riffs, you also have the lighter, acoustic side, and this new compilation caters to those rootsier moments.

The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull proves that even when they lowered the electricity, Jethro Tull, or more specifically singer/songwriter Ian Anderson, were more than capable of creating powerful and intense songs. If you are a fan of the lighter side, you'll be happy to know this features such songs as "Mother Goose", "Wond'ring Aloud", "Fat Man", "Life Is A Long Song", and "Cheap Day Return". The full "Thick As A Brick", in its original form, was spread over two sides (that's vinyl speak for you non-analog types) clocking in at a little over 40 minutes. Plus the album cover unfolded to a mock-newspaper. On this CD you get a mere four minute "intro", but this was one of many ways it received radio airplay, and is a small but nice hint of what's to come for those who want to embrace the full song/album.

The album, compiled and selected by Ian Anderson himself, features what he calls crowd favorites, along with songs that may have been ignored over the years. These include selections from albums when Jethro Tull immersed themselves in folk music goodness, which did turn some fans off (they started out as an electric blues band, after all, with a frontman played the flute on one leg). In retrospect, not many bands could pull it off well, that's the key word: "well". Hard rock and progressive rock went into many different directions in the 1970's, and while none of the bands would consider themselves as "leaders of the movement", Jethro Tull managed to make it through the trends and changes. The CD may also work for those who feel they have matured beyond the heaviness, and may want to enjoy the band's acoustic side instead. The Best Of Acoustic Jethro Tull is one perspective of this band's exciting career, and a perfect primer for new fans who may want different introduction to what they're about.

(The Best OF Acoustic Jethro Tull is available through CD Universe.)

CD Review: Neil Young's LIVE AT MASSEY HALL 1971

Neil Young
Live At Massey Hall 1971
(Reprise)

Had Neil Young listened to one of his close friends in 1971, the recording which appears on Live At Massey Hall 1971 would have been a double LP released inbetween After The Gold Rush and Harvest. Always a forward thinker, Young had traveled to Nashville, started working on what would become Harvest and pretty much forgot about the live album project. While bootlegs of varying quality have circulated over the years, this is the first time an an official version has been released, from a time in Young's career when he was becoming a star, and greater stardom was just around the corner.

Diehard Neil Young fans know he has recorded more music than he has released, and for years has hinted and teased them with the announcement of an Archives series, which turned into a box set. It has been delayed and canceled many times over, to the point where fans were wondering if it was just a pipe dream. No longer.

Live At Massey Hall 1971 is a 17-song performance recorded in Toronto, a homecoming of sorts for Young. The recording features just Young and him playing the guitar and piano. No Crazy Horse, no friends sitting in. It's very intimate and at times very somber (as is the case with a lot of Young's music), but it is a homecoming of sorts for Young, and the crowd responds as if it was the greatest rock show on Earth. The song selection is a look back at what Young became known for up until early 1971, with great performances of "Tell Me Why", "Cowgirl In The Sand", and "I Am A Child". He announces at the beginning of the show that he would like to introduce some new material, songs that would end up on the hit album Harvest. One is able to hear "Old Man", "The Needle And The Damage Done", and a unique combination of "A Man Needs A Maid" and "Heart Of Gold" that compliment each either quite well, as if they were two sides of the same coin. There's a hint of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when he performs "Ohio", and one may be able to remember a time when the topic of the song would spark a discussion about social change.

Those who enjoy the acoustic side of Young's work, especially from a period in his music before he jumped from genre to genre, will enjoy Live At Massey Hall 1971 immensely. For impatient NY fans, he promises an 8CD/2DVD Archives box set at the end of 2007.

(The CD/DVD combo of Live At Massey Hall 1971 is available through CD Universe.)

REVIEWS: Two CD's for your consideration

I have two new reviews up over at Okayplayer:

BONEY JAMES-Shine (order now at CD Universe)
MARISA MONTE-Universo Ao Meu Redor (order now at CD Universe)