Classic 1967 album reviews
THE WHO SELL OUT The Who, Polydor RecordsAnother album released late that year, The Who Sell Out was their third album, a concept release formatted as a collection of unrelated songs, interspersed with faux commercials and public service...
THE WHO SELL OUT
The Who, Polydor Records
Another album released late that year, The Who Sell Out was their third album, a concept release formatted as a collection of unrelated songs, interspersed with faux commercials and public service announcements.
The album purports to be a broadcast by pirate radio station Radio London. Part of the intended irony of the title was that The Who were actually making commercials during that period of their career. The album's release was reportedly followed by a bevy of lawsuits due to the mention of real-world commercial interests in the faux commercials and on the album covers, and by the makers of the real jingles (Radio London jingles), who claimed The Who used them without permission. But these jingles were not, and should not, veer the listener from its core selection of great songs.
Here again was a highly inventive and psychedelic album, with songs like Armenia City In The Sky, penned by the late Speedy Keene, a good friend of guitarist Peter Townshend and its choice of elongated horns, improvised guitar work, and some nice vocals from Roger Daltrey. There are also a few other songs worth considering like Odorno, which is replete with hilarious twists, the coming of age tale Tattoo, the legendary I Can See For Miles, a great single hit all over the world, as well as another slick rocker Relax. I Can't Reach You, the very English, macabre Silas Stingy, written by the eccentric John Entwistle, and Sunrise should also not go by unnoticed. Besides, on The Who Sell Out, Pete Townshend had his first take on rock opera with Rael. Then, few would have thought that some two years later, he would deliver a masterpiece in Tommy.
The Who Sell-Out was a triumph for Pete Townshend's songwriting but it also projected this band as a cohesive, creative lot. The Who Sell Out also featured an interesting cover, with the sleeve being divided into panels featuring a photograph by David Montgomery of each of the band members, two on the front and two on the back. At the front, Pete Townshend is seen applying Odorono brand deodorant from an oversized stick; Roger Daltrey sitting in a bathtub full of Heinz baked beans (holding an oversized tin can of the same) and at the back, the late Keith Moon is seen applying Medac from an oversized tube and the late John Entwistle is featured in a leopard-skin Tarzan suit, squeezing a blonde woman in a leopard-skin bikini with one arm and a teddy bear with the other (an ad for the Charles Atlas course mentioned in one of the album's faux commercials).
Here was another way of presenting pop art, in such a way that it reflected that day and age.
Yet, what matters most in the Who Sell Out is that its musical chemistry was superb. Its presentation was enhanced when it was re-issued in re-mastered form back in 1995, with some great, previously un-released songs too. Ray Bonici, a renowned Maltese journalist who resides in London, recalls this album as a great collection of songs and novelties.
"The Speedy Keen influence, Roger Daltrey's delivery, Jon Entwistle's eccentricity, as well as the insertion of promos and adverts made this album stand out on its own right. It is also quite significant that it took almost two decades for another act, namely Sigue Sigue Sputnick, to insert ads in between songs."
DISRAELI GEARS
Cream, Reaction/Atco Records
Cream's sophom-ore album, released late that year, proved to be their first massive worldwide hit. It was also their first US hit, reaching number four in 1968. Disraeli Gears is the second album by British blues-rock group Cream. It was originally released in November 1967 and went on to be a top five hit. It was also their American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller in 1968, reaching number four.
If Fresh Cream was blues-based, Disraeli Gears brought out the creativity, besides the tenacity of this power-trio, the first of its kind. It was Disraeli Gears that turned Cream into a super-group. Even now, there is still so much to fathom and appreciate in Tales of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR, We're Going Wrong, Outside Woman Blues, and Take It Back, as well as the hit single Sunshine of Your Love. Cream essentially incorporated psychedelic influences and honed them in their own way, thus producing an album that said so much about that era but at the same time it also retained their trademark blues sound. In the process, their songs kept being aired, especially on emerging American FM stations, and as a result, their audiences grew.
Few would have ever thought that Cream would deliver superb, ear-friendly, well-honed but unpretentious psychedelic rock numbers. Besides, their excellent electrified cover of Arthur Reynold's Outside Woman Blues shows them as real masters of the blues. They also pledged their love for England with a short, traditional cockney number entitled Mother's Lament.
Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker all contributed songs with the help of lyricist Pete Brown and producer Felix Pappalardi. The track Blue Condition was unusual in that Ginger Baker, although by any account not a singer, took the lead vocal. Disraeli Gears was recorded in New York by their American label, the Atco division of Atlantic Records, during the band's stay in the United States. The lurid psychedelic cover art was created by Australian artist Martin Sharp, who lived in the same building as Eric Clapton. At their first meeting in a London club, he mentioned that he had some music that needed lyrics, so Martin Sharp wrote a poem he had composed on a napkin and gave it to Eric Clapton, who recorded it as Tales of Brave Ulysses.
Then, art was really done for art's sake, and art happenings were spawning 10 a minute back in 1967! In the case of Cream, here was a trio stripped down to lead guitar, bass and drums that gave pop creativity a new edge. I can well vouch for them, having seen them do a few songs from this classic album some 18 months ago at Madison Square Gardens in New York.
Ray Bonici was in his early teens when this album was released. "This was an outstanding release which showed Eric Clapton in fine form but then, one cannot underestimate Jack Bruce's contribution, as a songwriter and musician, something that Clapton himself would admit later."
In 2004, the album was released as a two-disc deluxe edition including the complete album in both mono and stereo, demos, alternate takes and tracks taken from the band's live sessions on BBC radio.
The Who, Polydor RecordsAnother album released late that year, The Who Sell Out was their third album, a concept release formatted as a collection of unrelated songs, interspersed with faux commercials and public service announcements.
The album purports to be a broadcast by pirate radio station Radio London. Part of the intended irony of the title was that The Who were actually making commercials during that period of their career. The album's release was reportedly followed by a bevy of lawsuits due to the mention of real-world commercial interests in the faux commercials and on the album covers, and by the makers of the real jingles (Radio London jingles), who claimed The Who used them without permission. But these jingles were not, and should not, veer the listener from its core selection of great songs.
Here again was a highly inventive and psychedelic album, with songs like Armenia City In The Sky, penned by the late Speedy Keene, a good friend of guitarist Peter Townshend and its choice of elongated horns, improvised guitar work, and some nice vocals from Roger Daltrey. There are also a few other songs worth considering like Odorno, which is replete with hilarious twists, the coming of age tale Tattoo, the legendary I Can See For Miles, a great single hit all over the world, as well as another slick rocker Relax. I Can't Reach You, the very English, macabre Silas Stingy, written by the eccentric John Entwistle, and Sunrise should also not go by unnoticed. Besides, on The Who Sell Out, Pete Townshend had his first take on rock opera with Rael. Then, few would have thought that some two years later, he would deliver a masterpiece in Tommy.
The Who Sell-Out was a triumph for Pete Townshend's songwriting but it also projected this band as a cohesive, creative lot. The Who Sell Out also featured an interesting cover, with the sleeve being divided into panels featuring a photograph by David Montgomery of each of the band members, two on the front and two on the back. At the front, Pete Townshend is seen applying Odorono brand deodorant from an oversized stick; Roger Daltrey sitting in a bathtub full of Heinz baked beans (holding an oversized tin can of the same) and at the back, the late Keith Moon is seen applying Medac from an oversized tube and the late John Entwistle is featured in a leopard-skin Tarzan suit, squeezing a blonde woman in a leopard-skin bikini with one arm and a teddy bear with the other (an ad for the Charles Atlas course mentioned in one of the album's faux commercials).
Here was another way of presenting pop art, in such a way that it reflected that day and age.
Yet, what matters most in the Who Sell Out is that its musical chemistry was superb. Its presentation was enhanced when it was re-issued in re-mastered form back in 1995, with some great, previously un-released songs too. Ray Bonici, a renowned Maltese journalist who resides in London, recalls this album as a great collection of songs and novelties.
"The Speedy Keen influence, Roger Daltrey's delivery, Jon Entwistle's eccentricity, as well as the insertion of promos and adverts made this album stand out on its own right. It is also quite significant that it took almost two decades for another act, namely Sigue Sigue Sputnick, to insert ads in between songs."
DISRAELI GEARS
Cream, Reaction/Atco RecordsCream's sophom-ore album, released late that year, proved to be their first massive worldwide hit. It was also their first US hit, reaching number four in 1968. Disraeli Gears is the second album by British blues-rock group Cream. It was originally released in November 1967 and went on to be a top five hit. It was also their American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller in 1968, reaching number four.
If Fresh Cream was blues-based, Disraeli Gears brought out the creativity, besides the tenacity of this power-trio, the first of its kind. It was Disraeli Gears that turned Cream into a super-group. Even now, there is still so much to fathom and appreciate in Tales of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR, We're Going Wrong, Outside Woman Blues, and Take It Back, as well as the hit single Sunshine of Your Love. Cream essentially incorporated psychedelic influences and honed them in their own way, thus producing an album that said so much about that era but at the same time it also retained their trademark blues sound. In the process, their songs kept being aired, especially on emerging American FM stations, and as a result, their audiences grew.
Few would have ever thought that Cream would deliver superb, ear-friendly, well-honed but unpretentious psychedelic rock numbers. Besides, their excellent electrified cover of Arthur Reynold's Outside Woman Blues shows them as real masters of the blues. They also pledged their love for England with a short, traditional cockney number entitled Mother's Lament.
Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker all contributed songs with the help of lyricist Pete Brown and producer Felix Pappalardi. The track Blue Condition was unusual in that Ginger Baker, although by any account not a singer, took the lead vocal. Disraeli Gears was recorded in New York by their American label, the Atco division of Atlantic Records, during the band's stay in the United States. The lurid psychedelic cover art was created by Australian artist Martin Sharp, who lived in the same building as Eric Clapton. At their first meeting in a London club, he mentioned that he had some music that needed lyrics, so Martin Sharp wrote a poem he had composed on a napkin and gave it to Eric Clapton, who recorded it as Tales of Brave Ulysses.
Then, art was really done for art's sake, and art happenings were spawning 10 a minute back in 1967! In the case of Cream, here was a trio stripped down to lead guitar, bass and drums that gave pop creativity a new edge. I can well vouch for them, having seen them do a few songs from this classic album some 18 months ago at Madison Square Gardens in New York.
Ray Bonici was in his early teens when this album was released. "This was an outstanding release which showed Eric Clapton in fine form but then, one cannot underestimate Jack Bruce's contribution, as a songwriter and musician, something that Clapton himself would admit later."
In 2004, the album was released as a two-disc deluxe edition including the complete album in both mono and stereo, demos, alternate takes and tracks taken from the band's live sessions on BBC radio.