Catch Bull at Four proves that the Cat had seen darkness, too, and that those darker elements had become more pronounced than they'd been in the past. His vocal style shifts from the cool croon that made Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat top sellers to a harsher, almost growling delivery. The album's standouts--the wistful reverie "Sitting" and the delightfully infectious "Can't Keep It In"--are resolute in lyric and melody. Rambling, mystical odes such as "The Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head," "Angelsea," and "Sweet Scarlet" offer quaintly romantic imagery and lavishly undulating melodies. But it's the mercurial dynamics and driving melody of "18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)" and the bitter conviction...  (less)

almost all nonclassical guitarists." On top of his expert albeit unconventional playing, Spence growled, murmured, and scatted his way through a distinctive repertoire that included sea chanties, hymns, and pop tunes. This spontaneous 21-song album was recorded in a Boston apartment with Spence playing a borrowed Martin D-18. Surrounded by a circle of devotees, he comfortably sails through the likes of "Sloop John B." (it was a folk song before the Beach Boys got hold of it), "Will the Serpent Be Unbroken" (notice the revised title), and Spence's personal anthem, "Out on the Rolling Sea." In a single word: singular. --Steven Stolder  (less)

and covers the last four years of the Stanleys' career on King Records - 1961-65 - a career that was cruelly terminated by the death of Carter Stanley in 1966. Focusing primarily on tracks that were released on 45s by King, some posthumously, this package includes some of the best vocal and instrumental performances that Carter, Ralph and various line-ups of their group, the Clinch Mountain Boys, laid down during a career that spanned a quarter of a century. Highlights include their original recording of 'Don't Cheat In Our Hometown' - later to be taken to the top of the US Country charts by a famous alumnus of the Clinch Mountain Boys, Ricky Skaggs, and the sombre recitation 'Old And In The Way', the title of which Jerry Garcia, David Grism...  (less)

Murdoch finally gets back to leading his band. It was a nice idea to have everyone else share the vocal spotlight on Fold Your Hands and Storytelling , but wasn't Murdoch's delicate voice so much of what made us all fall in love with the band in the first place? Clearly, Horn understands this, just as he understands that the preciously lo-fi sound had to go. Horn brings every instrument into a crystal-clear, lovingly retro, Top of the Pops clarity. It's their most diverse album by far, from the marching, uptempo(!) drums on "Step Into My Office Baby" (which sounds like Melanie meets Adam and the Ants) to the fractured, New Wave-organ-driven "Stay Loose" (the close as B&S has come to Talking Heads territory). What a...  (less)

Kohrs, Bryan Bowers & many others. They’re distinguished, top-notch players hailing from all over the geographical—& instrumental—map. “Many A Blue Moon” sounds like it came straight from a lost 8-track under the grubby bus seat of Jimmy Martin. The girl is gone & the old boy is crying, all to the ultra-traditional drive of the great Ron Stewart’s fiddle & banjo. The moon is blue & so is the singer. Then pause 4 seconds. Here comes equally great talent from the distant fringe of bluegrass—Radim Zenkl’s whistle & Bryan Bowers’ autoharp—called together by a 5-minute ode to . . . to what? To a half-dozen carefully enumerated academic philosophies. Bluegrass whiplash, you bet! Welcome to Oreg...  (less)

boy-next-door country-folk singer chalked up 10 top-10 hits. Even after the singles began to peak somewhere short of Rocky Mountain heights, Denver ably branched into film (he costarred in the box-office winner Oh God ) and social activism (as much as any entertainer, he deserves credit for making environmentalism a mainstream movement). The man born John Henry Deutschendorf was almost as widely loathed as he was beloved, however: the number of people who were intoxicated by his wholesome, soaring songs were nearly matched by those who wretched at the mention of his name. This two-disc anthology is for the latter group, though it underserves an element of the late superstar's audience. Missing here are "Fly Away," "Calypso," "Rocky Mountain High," "Sweet Surrender," "Take Me...  (less)

guitar (both well-known English folk musicians); David Diggs on keyboards (a best-selling soft jazz artist); Daryl S on violin (Depeche Mode and Guns 'N Roses); and other top musicians. The CD was engineered and co-produced by Earle Mankey who has engineered or produced dozens of top artists including Elton John, Concrete Blonde, the Beach Boys, America and Possum Dixon . Earle also played guitar for many years including a stint with Sparks.  (less)

Catch Bull at Four proves that the Cat had seen darkness, too, and that those darker elements had become more pronounced than they'd been in the past. His vocal style shifts from the cool croon that made Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat top sellers to a harsher, almost growling delivery. The album's standouts--the wistful reverie "Sitting" and the delightfully infectious "Can't Keep It In"--are resolute in lyric and melody. Rambling, mystical odes such as "The Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head," "Angelsea," and "Sweet Scarlet" offer quaintly romantic imagery and lavishly undulating melodies. But it's the mercurial dynamics and driving melody of "18th Avenue (Kansas City Nightmare)" and the bitter conviction...  (less)

40 hit machine was meteoric. Building on the success of his mainstream breakthrough The Joker , Miller's mastery of the indelibly catchy pop song yielded not only the radio-staple title track (since successfully revived by Seal), but an almost embarrassing wealth of other deceptively simple, hook-laden songs (including the standout "Wild Mountain Honey" as well as the hit singles "Take the Money and Run" and "Rock'n Me") to make Eagle play more like a greatest hits album than a standard collection of songs. This is Miller at his '76 pop-perfectionist peak, and one of the decade's most enduring surprises. --Jerry McCulley  (less)