Linda Rich There's More to Living Than I Know So Far Inter-Varsity Records 1969

Linda Rich There's More to Living Than I Know So Far Inter-Varsity Records 1969 CAT #LPS-03498

The cover for Linda Rich's 'There's More to Living Than I Know So Far' catches your eye with it's 60's pop-art lettering and simplicity. You turn it over, and in the upper right there's a picture of Linda Rich and she looks motherly, old even. Then you read through the back notes and it's all about Jesus and religion, now she looks like a grandma in the photo.

If you search the LP online, though, you'll find that it's sold often as "folk-psych" as well as with the Christian abbreviation, Xian. Once you listen to it, the "folk psych" thing is just hype, it's folk, but as psych as the weakest Moody Blues song. It's certainly religious, but you can figure out why there's a demand for the LP. It's well-done femme folk from the late 60's. Linda Rich's back photo must just be a bad angle, because her voice doesn't sound like an older woman, she sounds youthful. The album is Linda Rich, her guitar, and backing musicians that do their best to bring about a hippie-inspired dream session. If you can get past all the Jesus, it's a pretty solid LP. The reissue label Numero Group even featured the track "Sunlight Shadow" on a recent compilation.

The back cover gives some clues to Linda Rich, she played around colleges for Christian youth groups throughout the Midwest and apparently an awful lot in Colorado. She was from Augusta, Kansas, which is a small town about 30 minutes East of Wichita. Other than that, she did another obscure LP and it appears she was a recent college grad or current student at the time of this release in 1969.

Sunlight, Shadow

Lander Ballard Late Night Flight Free Wind Records 1987

Lander Ballard Late Night Flight Free Wind Records 1987 CAT# LB8703

This is the second Lander Ballard LP that came out a decade after his initial private LP, Hightime. He's from Wichita and research on the internet indicates he's still out there with his guitar playing for anybody that will listen.

The Hightime LP bordered between hippie folk and singer/songwriter influences. 10 years later, it seems the major change was cocaine. Seriously, the hippie, marijuana, mysticism from his first LP is replaced with a space ship on the cover, studio effects, maniac screams and maniac tempos...It's got to be cocaine, right?

I struggle to categorize this, due to the cocaine thing, late-era yacht rock isn't the worst bucket I could throw it in. However, it's not as slick or as smooth. It's got all the space references, but it's too buried in pop sounds to really take advantage of  space influences, it's just in the lyrics. The only thing making it worth having is that if you can compare it the hippie styles of his first LP. There's no real strong highlight on this album, but it's decent...cover is kind of cool, too.

Stan Kenton Kenton with Voices Capitol 1957

Stan Kenton Kenton with Voices Capitol 1957 CAT #T810

I think this is my last Kenton record until someone just dumps them on my lap. Which, judging by the water stains on this LP, I think someone did just give me this...I hope I didn't buy it (although, the vinyl is pretty nice).

I've been through multiple Kenton releases and I'm at the point where I'm pretty sure I don't need to hear anymore. This sat on my 'To Be Listened To' shelf for months before I finally put it on. And, like all the Kenton LPs I've heard, it's about ten times better than I though it would be. He's just an artist that's really easy to listen to. Sure, he's square, but he excelled at taking sophisticated musical ideas and making them sound natural.

Kenton With Voices sounds a product of it's time in many places, you know, like grandma and grandpa music with a mix of some torch songs. Then, out of nowhere, there's these songs that just come out of left-field with space-age, bachelor pad sounds and exotica drum work. Those parts are worth listening in addition to the classier torch songs.

Softly

Various Artists Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace Numero Group 2009

Various Artists Eccentric Soul: Smart's Palace Numero Group 2009 CAT# 27

This is a Numero compilation highlighting Wichita Kansas' Smart Brothers along with the artists that played with them at their Wichita, KS club.

The story is pretty surprising and not very well known. Wichita, Kansas soul scene is so obscure the 7"s that are connected to Smart's Palace aren't out of reach for collectors. If found, they bring in around $20, with maybe a few of the dance floor burners edging the $50 range.

The music here is raw. This isn't uptown soul, this isn't even roots driven Southern soul, soul sides. It's working class with tracks that range from the 60's into the 70's. The music changes with the decade and time they were recorded in, however, even the obvious 70s track never get smooth, the music stays raw. Each decade is well worth time on the comp, but if there is a winner, the basement sounds of the 60's sides are impossible to ignore.

As usual, the Numero Group compilation is complete with amazing liner notes telling the story and fantastic packaging. Highly recommended.

Smart's Palace

Various Artists The Best of Twin Lakes '72 Vermillion Enterprises 1972

Various Artists The Best of Twin Lakes '72 Vermillion Enterprises 1972 CAT #VES-4004A

There's an intro to this record, a female voice over that advises how cool the Twin Lakes Night Club as it features artists such as Anybody's Guess, Sidra and the Performers, the Chadons, and the Music Tree, it leads you to believe that the Twin Lakes Night Club in Wichita, Kansas had more to offer, but, judging by this album, that was it. Those are the only four performers on the compilation.

Lounge records from the 70's can be pretty entertaining, but this ins't offering anything that really jumps out. Occasionally the lounge bands cover a psych track that goes crazy or is just amazing in it's amateurishness. Or, you get a huge drum break that kids like to sample. This LP doesn't have either of those things.

It's still "groovy" to hit on the feel of 1972, like swinging bachelor type stuff. A vibe probably better suited for 1969, but things take a while to get to Wichita, KS. Sidra and the Performers are mildly psychedelic. The band Anybody's Guess does things rather lo-fi and is fairly groovy on their tracks, putting their version of Mel Tillis' "Ruby" on a mixtape or CD wouldn't be out of the question. The rest is mostly miss, nothing unbearable mind you, but no real standouts...The Chadons actually border on awful.

Marcy Tinger Marcy Sings Nursery Rhymes Word 1967

Marcy Tigner Marcy Sings Nursery Rhymes Word 1967 CAT# K-702

There is a full post on the artist behind the ventriloquist doll, Little Marcy or by this LP, simply Marcy. The voice was Marcy Tigner who prior to going to the great Northwest for music fame was a Wichita, Kansas native. Prior to putting out a kajillion weirdo children's religious albums, she actually did a few albums of her own as a trombone player.

All her Little Marcy albums (and there's an insane amount) are equally as creepy and in today are awful confusing. Why was the idea of a ventriloquist doll on record a good thing? Isn't the entertainment value in watching the actual ventriloquist hide their vocals?

Anyway, as far as Little Marcy's deep catalog is concerned, this is the album that gets the hype. Pretty sure it was once featured on David Letterman's Dave's Record Collection bit and it's also the topic of numerous blog posts. It doesn't have the creepy stage banter between the actual Marcy Tigner and her doll as the album is just the doll doing well-known nursery rhymes with basic back musical drops (oddly all of which are copyrighted despite being open to everyone even in 1967). What it does have though is the a rendition of "I Love Little Pussy." Because, as a traditional nursery rhyme, "I Love Little Pussy" already ranks up there with the best dick and fart jokes, but a creepy doll singing it, that's next level stuff.

Lander Ballard Hightime Free Wind Records 1977

Lander Ballard Hightime Free Wind Records 1977 CAT# LB7701

As far as I can tell, Lander Ballard is still making music, much more in the new country "Merica" tradition down in his home town of Wichita, KS. You can YouTube it and see all the macho country he's doing currently.

This LP is far better than what you can find online. He put out this LP in 1977 and a second a decade later on his own Free Wind Records label. While I haven't heard the 1987 LP, this is worth searching out and is relatively cheap. It's pretty low-key singer/songwriter stuff that takes moves from Billy Joel and other popular songwriters of the 70's as well as all that slick yacht rock that was going on. It's not as smooth or as polished as the yacht rock hits of the late-70's, it's just got the overriding influences.

If it it has to be categorized, it's hippie-folk. Ballard was into some new-age mysticism (and probably marijuana) and it shows throughout the album. The song "Ch'i (Natural Energy)" kind of speaks for itself. That song actually kind of sucks, but there are some definite highlights. The Joel influenced "Song for an Aging Minstrel" is pretty fun as is "Rock and Roll Man." The rest is uptempo, gentle melodies, that Ballard sings over the top of with a soft set of pipes. For a private LP out of Wichita, production is surprisingly good. Packaging is also top-notch, cover art is kinda cool and there's a nice little lyric book included.

Manilla Road Invasion Cult Metal Classics 2005 (Reissue)

Manilla Road Invasion Cult Metal Classics 2005 (Reissue) CAT# CultMetal019

If you mention the name Manilla Road to a random person in Kansas and probably this band's home city of Wichita, it's probably fair to assume less than 1% you talk to will have any idea who Manilla Road is. Mention the band's name in Power Metal circles and you're sure to get a number of opinions. Many of which would cite the band as one the finest examples in the genre.

However, before this gets all metal, this was Manilla Road's first release. It was originally released in 1980 on the band's own label, Roadster. This vinyl reissue was put out in Europe in 2005 on Cult Classics, but apparently there is an additional version that was released in 2004 on the label Iron Glory. Perhaps a situation in which Iron Glory has the CD reissue and didn't have interest in vinyl so passed it along to Cult Metal...either way, Cult Metal is a label in Greece and indicative of the band's primary fan base, power metal is apparently big in the European countries...that's the rumor, anyway.

But again, don't want to get too attached to metal. This release, Invasion, is heavy, but much more in line with proto-metal and progressive rock. The band came into their Power Metal years on the release Crystal Logic, which is few years later. While that era gets the most recognition, this is pretty great too. In Wichita, these guys were secluded, had no intention of fame or fortune, just clearly wanted to play LOUD music. It's dark, menacing and filled with guitars. The sound, at least on this version, the sound quality is pretty poor and comes across like it was recorded in a damp basement. Maybe it was or maybe it was just the limitations of the bands equipment.

One thing is clear, the group's primary Mark Shelton is brilliant. Nothing about this album carries any pretense...sure, maybe a band like Iron Maiden was knocking around all this fantasy lyric stuff at the same time, but c'mon, those guys still wanted to be "cool." Nothing about Manilla Road is trying to be cool. In fact, it seems as if they wanted the opposite. They'll play loud, fast, and sing about swords and death and if someone buys it, great, if not, they're still going to kick around their ideas.

Manilla Road The Dream Goes On

Stan Kenton Artistry in Rhythm Capitol 1947

Stan Kenton Artistry in Rhythm Capitol 1947 CAT #H167

There's a bunch of Kenton comps that go by this title and there's even an album previously discussed, New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm.  It's all because this is widely considered his signature album during his big band period.

It's an enjoyable collection of music.  If someone just threw it on and listened to it today, I'm not sure they'd call it jazz.  It sounds much more like a soundtrack score.  The stuff Kenton was doing wasn't really for dancing, he was trying to advance the art form and usually comes off pretty pompous in liner notes.

The best moments and the ones I think people can grab onto easier now-a-days are the tracks featuring a cool-toned June Christy, "Willow Weep For Me" and "Ain't No Misery in Me."

Ain't No Misery in Me

Marilyn Maye Meet marvelous Marilyn Maye RCA/Victor 1965

Marilyn Maye Meet marvelous Marilyn Maye RCA/Victor 1965 CAT# LPM-3997

This is Marilyn Maye's debut for RCA.  TV personality and the guy who discovered Maye pens the back cover and gushes on and on about her greatness.  The LP actually boosts some talented arrangers drawing both from Don Costa and Manny Albam, but all in all, just really pop vocal tracks with a singer that has a background more in theater than jazz.

The theatrical value of her voice and the arrangements on this LP give it a very big showbiz sound.  Highlights include the uptempo "Get Me To the Church on Time," the simple bass line vocal pairing of "Washington Square" until it gets full-blown, her rendition of "Take Five" is fun, outside of that, many ballads, nothing that stands out too much or has become the definitive version of a song.

I Love You Today

Marilyn Maye A Taste of "Sherry!" RCA 1967

Marilyn Maye A Taste of "Sherry!" RCA 1967 CAT# LPM-3778

Marilyn Maye McLaughlin was born in Wichita, KS, but would begin her singing career in Topeka as child performer in local talent shows.  After her parent's divorced, she spent some time in Des Moines, Iowa, gaining some attention as  teen on radio.  She would later move to Chicago, but quickly come back home to Kansas City.

Performing throughout the Midwest she was discovered by the first show of the Tonight Show, Steve Allen. The relationship landed her a recording contract with RCA and in her prime, she was somewhat of a regular on the Tonight Show appearing 76 times.

This album is typical of her jazz vocal style that is heavily laced with pop.  She's no June Christy or even Julie London.  Rather, she's far more routed in the theater and cabaret traditions than jazz.  She's got a clear, brassy voice, that's suited for the grandiose arrangements that usually surround her.  There's some fun moments on this LP, which represents her early work, "Java" is pretty goofy, "Sherry!" is surprisingly quirky, and her cover of "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin" works well.

Marilyn Maye - Java

Split Lip Rayfield Old No. Six B/W How Many Biscuts Can You Eat Bloodshot 2003

Split Lip Rayfield Old No. Six B/W How Many Biscuts Can You Eat Bloodshot 2003 CAT# BS 107

This Wichita band is legendary for the live shows and their constant touring, yet, if you want the tunes on vinyl, this is it.  Out of 7 full length albums none of which were pressed on vinyl, just this lone 7".

In Kansas and everywhere, it seemed as if this band was always in your town playing.  When I was in college, I'm pretty sure they packed the Bottleneck at least once a month.  And, they did that everywhere they were welcome.  If they could pack a club, they'd be there all the time with their raucous brand of bluegrass and alt. country.  Unfortunately, in 2007 one of the band's founders, Kirk Rundstrom, passed away.  So it would seem they don't gig as much as they once did, but don't be fooled, the band is still out there and playing and recording new tracks.

It's important to mention how important this band is to country/bluegrass scene in Kansas.  They've been called the founders of the "Stage 5" sound.  Stage 5 is an "unofficial" stage found at Winfield, Kansas' Walnut Bluegrass festival in which the artists that play it often have a less traditional bluegrass sound.  It was likely the only place Split Lip Rayfield fit while performing at the festival.  This band managed to blow down doors while playing traditional stringed instruments and the sound is found on this 7" just like all the band's output.  Highly recommended.

LIVE VERSION of Old No. Six

Melissa Etheridge Brave and Crazy Island 1989

Melissa Etheridge Brave and Crazy Island 1989 CAT# 7 91285-1

Melissa Etheridge was born and grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas.  Leavenworth is notable for a large Federal prison, but hey, after Etheridge, the town has a freakin' Grammy winner.  She attended K-12 in the town, her dad apparently still teaches at the area High School.  Further, she doesn't seem to bag on Kansas, even when the reporter tries to bait her in.  From my quick research, she's been quoted saying it was lonely in Kansas (it is) and occasionally, the reporters say things like, "Growing up gay in Kansas," not Melissa.  That's hard anywhere, it isn't easier to be a gay teen in California than it is in Kansas.  Those things are usually just a reporter trying to make something out of nothing, because from I what I can see, Etheridge describes her Kansas upbringing like anyone else would: boring.

I first heard this album shortly after she became a big deal.  My mom feel in love with it, playing it all the time and telling me constantly how much she loved Etheridge's voice.  At the time, I was growing up in Wisconsin and into heavy metal and the Dead Milkmen.  I could have cared less about Etheridge's music, never mind where she was from.

Now-a-days, I still don't care much about Melissa Etheridge's music.  For me, it's pretty MOR and I'm not impressed just because she's a girl.  She treads on some pretty well-worn territory, throws in a few blues riffs, keeps it folk-y, and occasionally even gets funky.  There's just better music out there.  She does have a good voice and a flair for dramatics, but eh, I just can't get all that wrapped up in it.

I'm a bigger fan of her being from Kansas and winning Grammy's.  That's solid.  Further, if her music and popularity lead others (this time I'm all for the girl-power) to create and appreciate music, that's awesome.

Stan Kenton New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm Capitol 1952

Stan Kenton New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm Capitol 1952 CAT# H383

So, when I first embarked on this project and found out Stan Kenton was from Wichita, KS, I was like, "Sweet!"  Then, as I started actually keeping my eyes peeled for all records that have a Kansas connection and saw how many Kenton albums are out there I said to myself, "Fuck, Stan Kenton is from Wichita."  I mean seriously, how many things can I possibly come up with to say about Stan Kenton?

Luckily, this 10" is pretty interesting and at points, challenging.  Kenton was in transition and on this album his orchestra had just begun it's experimentation with swing.  The first track, "23 Degrees North - 82 Degrees West" comes in with killer horns that take a bit to come together, but it works within a few seconds.  The Latin flair on that track is the most exciting part of the album, but there are other moments to explore, love the guitar lines on "Invention for Guitar and Trumpet," and the revamped ballad, "My Lady.".

As per usual, on this album Kenton's orchestra is loaded with talent, Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, and Gerry Mulligan, just to name a few.  Of course, Kenton tells you all about that on the back side of the album in true douche-bag form.  The guy describes all the tracks like his work is for the better good.  But, outside of that, solid album, cover art is incredible.

23 Degrees North - 82 Degrees West

Joe Walsh Barnstorm ABC/Dunhill 1972

Joe Walsh Barnstorm ABC/Dunhill 1972 CAT# DSX 50130

Man, I'm done waiting for post-James Gang Walsh albums to impress me.  They're all the same, a few moments of classic rock awesomeness followed by mellow California style radio rock.  Boring.

This one is called his masterpiece.  His lovely textured guitar work and spacey open-ended songs, blah, blah, blah.  It's boring.  It's what would happen to the Grateful Dead if they got sober.  Soft boogie rock, soft melodies, everything soft.  It's a very country tinged affair, but not in a country rock way, in the spacey California country kind of way.  It's the songs here that probably led the Eagles to pick up Walsh as a guitarist and songwriter.

Admittedly though, I'm not really being fair to the album.  Of the Barnstorm-era and proper solo Walsh stuff I've dove into, this is one of the better albums.  I just wished Walsh would rock more, like "Rocky Mountain Way."  This album is missing a a rocker all together.  The space and psychedelic experiments into country are border line brilliant.  Had I started here, I wouldn't have said all the stuff about Joe Walsh being boring.

Birdcall Morning

Stan Kenton Kenton in Hi-Fi Capitol 1956

Stan Kenton Kenton in Hi-Fi Capitol 1956 CAT#W724

Stan Kenton was born in Wichita, Kansas.  He would later move to Colorado at a young and also to California.  Can't find much on how much time he spent in Kansas, but nevertheless, he was born in the state.

Looking at records and photos of the guy, he looks awful square for a jazz musician.  More square than Glenn Miller.  It's not like he was on a label known for spitting out ultra-hip Jazz in Capitol, either.  So, all indications, not that cool of a guy (there's also some personal issues going on with Kenton, but I'm just saying as a Jazz musician right now, he's no Coltrane).  However, listening to some of his material, there are some definite high points and creative exploration.  I have some 10"s of his that really surprised me, nothing I would call abstract, but certainly not expected.  He was initially focused on what he termed "progressive jazz," focusing on movement and shying away from anything considered to be dance music.

Later, he explored the big band sound and attempted to maintain creative exploration within the tunes.  This LP represents that period.  It does swing, you could dance to it easily, but it wasn't cut and dry and maintained the Kenton sound.  It also further explored the Kenton Wall of Sound that he developed previously in the 1940's.  He layers everything up, so much so it feels as if your speakers could explode.  Phil Spector would use the term later when recording his doo-wop masterpieces and rock and roll.

His personal stuff I'll share another time.  Rather focus on the good for now.  The artists this guy worked with and brought to the scene is incredible.  Just a few, June Christy, Chris Connor, Art Pepper, Neal Hefti, Stan Getz, Kai Winding, Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, Bud Shank; it's an amazing list that just goes on and on.  I mean, it's almost as if you had to first play in Kenton's band prior to venturing out as a stand alone musician.

Artistry in Boogie & Minor Riff

Joe Walsh The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get Dunhill/ABC 1973

Joe Walsh The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get Dunhill/ABC 1973 CAT# DSX-50140

This is the second "Barnstorm" album from Wichita-Born Joe Walsh.  When Walsh left the James Gang, he formed a band called Barnstorm.  ABC put out the albums as solo LPS by Joe Walsh.  For the most part, it's Joe Walsh's thing, but the tunes are credited to Barnstorm Music and the Joe Vitale and Kenny Passarelli were members of a band with Joe Walsh at this time, not just his backing band.

The first song on the LP, "Rocky Mountain Way," is a monster.  It's a defining hard-rock song of the 1970's.  From there though, the album gets a bit soft.  Walsh explores soft rock and even Jazz inflicted tunes like the instrumental, "Midnight Moodies."  Despite solid songs like "Bookends", "Dreams," and "Days Gone By," they pale in comparison to "Rocky Mountain Way."

The album does have nice melodies, lots of cool instruments, good arrangements, all that stuff.  But, I could listen to Fleetwood Mac if I wanted clever soft rock, it's better.  It does have Joe Walsh's guitar, though.  He's good at that and probably the most famous Kansas born guitarist, ever?  I don't think there are too many that did as much with the instrument and established themselves as a player as much as he did.

Richard Pryor Introduces "Rocky Mountain Way"

Joe Walsh "But Seriously, Folks..." Elektra/Asylum Records 1978

Joe Walsh "But Seriously, Folks..." Elektra/Asylum Records 1978  CAT #6E-141

Yeah, so Joe Walsh was born in Wichita, KS.  That's cool, but I don't think he spent much time in Kansas before moving to Ohio as a child.  Further, at age 12 he'd move to New York.  Regardless, he's a native Kansan.  There is a good chance he has family here, maybe even frequented Kansas as a child for holidays and such.

I've had a rough go with Joe Walsh; not sure what music of his to include on this blog project and what not to include.  Ultimately, I decided solo albums are fair game.  I really wanted to do James Gang albums, because for the most part, the Joe Walsh edition of the band is great, but if I did that, I'd be opening myself up to the Eagles who Walsh also performed with.  I fucking hate the Eagles.  I had to draw the line at solo albums.  Second, that also would lead to talking about stuff just because there was one dude from Kansas or Kansas City and that's too much stuff, so it was best just to stick to solo albums and groups with legitimate roots to the area.

However, with that declaration, Joe Walsh still presented further problems.  Do you count the Barnstorm era Joe Walsh?  You see, after Walsh left James Gang, he went onto do Barnstorm.  That was the actual name of the group Joe Walsh formed and not his first solo album.  However, since Walsh had become an admired guitarist as a member of the James Gang and the labels love a good brand name, they bottled the first Barnstorm album as a Walsh solo project.  Due to the major label money grab, Barnstorm era is fair game as well.

Yeah, so this album is pretty boring.  My parents had it when I was growing up.  I found the cover interesting and humorous as a child.  I don't remember hearing it played in the household or anything, probably because Walsh was a bit Eagles-damaged at this point.  Several years in that band entrenched him in melodic soft rock tunes.  My parents always played party rock when they actually played records, so this one collected dust.  It is a better album than The Long Run by the Eagles which came out the following year.   Don Henly and Glenn Fry would've been better off just recording Joe Walsh tunes by 1979.  And since people fucking love the Eagles, loads of people seem to like this LP for it's a laid back and relaxed style.  It also contained the absurdly long, but big time AOR hit, "Life's Been Good," which admittedly, is pretty hard not to like.

Life's Been Good

The Embarrassment EP Cynykyl Records 1981

The Embarrassment EP Cynykyl Records 1981 NO CAT#

Of all the Embarrassment stuff I've tracked down, this is my favorite.  Have you heard "Celebrity Art Party"?  It's not just one of my favorite songs by a local group, it's one of my favorite songs by any band, ever.  It's a mastepiece.  Humerus lyrics that hold up today, a neurotic, nervy beat, the Feelies couldn't match this tune's greatness back in the day.

The other 4 tunes on this EP are winners as well, plus they're divided into a 'Happy Side' and a 'Snappy Side'.  Personally, if had to get rid of one track, it'd be "Elizabeth Montgomery's Face," but that's just as much a fan favorite as any other of the band's tunes.  It also features the song, "Wellsville," which is Small Town, Kansas and highway travel; the notion that if you blink you'll miss it and how that idea relates to life.  It's done with humor though and not as deep as I'm making it sound here.  I used to play the track once a week when I hosted Plow the Fields on KJHK, I was kind of obsessed.

Anyway, I could go on gushing about this EP more, but it gets kind of redundant.  If you've never heard this band and have the means, this is highly recommended.

Wellsville
Homemade Rock Video for Celebrity Art Party

The Embarrassment God Help Us Bar None 1990

The Embarrassment God Help Us Bar None 1990 CAT #7 72635-1

When I first tracked this down, I was a disappointed with it.  The production is beefy, loud, and unforgiving. The band re-records previous classics and it just sounds forced.  It was also released in 1990, yet it seems to hearken back to 1985 for influences, which make it sound more out of place than the production.

It was a reunion album of sorts.  The band's catalog was secured by Bar None so the all encompassing Heyday 1979-1983 could be released.  Apparently, the people at Bar None were so enamored by the Embarrassment they asked them to do an album to coincide with Heyday and a post-83 compilation that was never released.  The band obliged.  Simple as that.  The fans didn't expect it and I don't even think the people at Bar None expected it, but it happened.

Listening to it again, it has it's moments.  While certainly not the band in its prime, any Embarrassment is good Embarrassment.  The first track, 'Train of Thought' is excellent and wouldn't miss a beat on anything they released previously (this goes equally for the song's reprise on the flip side "...The Train Repirse").  "Horror of the Fire" has a good roots rock vibe and likely would have been scoffed at it the band's earlier days, but gets the nod on a release like this.  "Podmen" has some great guitar work.  At the same time though, I could do without the song "Albert."  The remake of "Sex Drive" draws too much on metal and hard rock.  Finally, the remake of "Burning Love" is worthless and adds nothing to the album.

Horror of Fire
Train of Thought