Showing posts with label Mel Collins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mel Collins. Show all posts

August 20, 2017

20,000 Vinyl LPs 102: King Crimson & "Boz" Burrell ~ Earthbound

             
vinyl LP album cover detail 
detail photo by Styrous®


Raymond "Boz" Burrell was born on the 1st of August in 1946. He was an English musician who was originally a vocalist and guitarist but is best known for his bass playing and work with the bands King Crimson and Bad Company.    

Earthbound is a live album by the band King Crimson which contains two improvised tracks with scat vocals from Burrell. Earthbound was released in 1972 as a budget record shortly after the line-up that recorded it had broken up. It contains the band's first official live release of their signature song "21st Century Schizoid Man," and an extended live version of their 1970 non-LP B-side Groon.   

The album's sound quality is very poor, because of its being recorded onto cassette tape (a low-fidelity recording medium by 1972 standards) by live sound engineer Hunter MacDonald. The liner notes to the original LP cover and recent CD reissues of the album state that it was "captured live on an Ampex stereo cassette fed from a Kelsey Morris custom built mixer ... in the rain from the back of a Volkswagen truck." Atlantic Records, King Crimson's original North American distributor, declined release of Earthbound because of its poor sound engineering. Because of its cassette origins, the sound could not be significantly improved on later CD reissues of the album.


vinyl LP album cover
photo by Styrous®


King Crimson is an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The band has undergone numerous formations throughout its history of which 21 musicians have been members; since January 2017 it has consisted of Robert Fripp, Jakko Jakszyk, Tony Levin, Mel Collins, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, Bill Rieflin and Jeremy Stacey. Fripp is the only consistent member of the group, and is considered the band's leader and driving force. The band has earned a large cult following. They were ranked No. 87 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

 
vinyl LP album back cover
photo by Styrous®



Developed from the unsuccessful trio Giles, Giles and Fripp, the band were seminal in the progressive rock genre in its first five years with its standard of instrumentation and complex song structures. King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) (link below), remains its most successful and influential, with its elements of jazz, classical, and experimental music. Their success increased following an opening act performance for the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, London, in 1969. Following the less successful In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), and Islands (1971), the group reached a new creative peak with Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974). Fripp disbanded the group in 1974.     


vinyl LP album back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®



In 1981, King Crimson reformed with a change in musical direction which lasted for three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981) (link below), Beat (1982), and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, Fripp revived the group in 1994 and released Thrak (1995). Since 1997, several musicians have pursued aspects of the band's work and approaches through a series of related bands collectively referred to as ProjeKCts. In 2000, the band reunited once more and released The Construkction of Light (2000). The band's most recent album is The Power to Believe (2003). In 2009 the band undertook a tour to celebrate their 40th Anniversary and continue to perform live in various capacities.       



vinyl LP album back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®



The first incarnation of King Crimson formed in London on 30 November 1968 and first rehearsed on 13 January 1969. The band's name was coined by lyricist, roadie, and art strategist Peter Sinfield, though it is not meant to be a synonym for Beelzebub, prince of demons. (According to Fripp, Beelzebub would be an anglicised form of the Arabic phrase "B'il Sabab", meaning "the man with an aim".) Historically and etymologically, a "crimson king" was any monarch during whose reign there was civil unrest and copious bloodshed; the album debuted at the height of worldwide opposition to the military involvement of the United States in Southeast Asia.     




vinyl LP, side 1
photo by Styrous®



McDonald was the group's main composer, albeit with contributions from Lake and Fripp, while Sinfield wrote the lyrics, designed and operated the band's stage lighting, being credited with "sounds and visions". McDonald suggested the band purchase a Mellotron, and they began using it to create an orchestral rock sound, inspired by the Moody Blues. Sinfield described Crimson thus: "If it sounded at all popular, it was out. So it had to be complicated, it had to be more expansive chords, it had to have strange influences. If it sounded, like, too simple, we'd make it more complicated, we'd play it in 7/8 or 5/8, just to show off".      



vinyl LP label, side 1
photo by Styrous®


King Crimson made its live debut on 9 April 1969, and made a breakthrough by playing the Rolling Stones free concert at Hyde Park, London in July 1969 before an estimated 500,000 people. Its debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, was released in October 1969 on Island Records.    



vinyl LP, side 2
photo by Styrous®


Fripp and Sinfield recorded the second King Crimson album, In the Wake of Poseidon, in 1970 with the Giles brothers hired back as the session rhythm section, and with jazz pianist Keith Tippett and Circus saxophonist Mel Collins as guest musicians.    

After a search for new musicians, Fripp and Sinfield secured a returning Collins and Ian Wallace on drums. Auditions for a singer included those from Bryan Ferry, Elton John, and John Gaydon, the band's manager. The position went to Raymond "Boz" Burrell leaving Fripp and Wallace teaching Burrell to play bass rather than continue auditions. Though he had not played bass before, Burrell had played enough rhythm guitar to assist him in learning the instrument. With the line-up complete, King Crimson toured in 1971 for the first time since 1969.   


vinyl LP label, side 2
photo by Styrous®



In the 1990s Burrell worked with such acts as Alvin Lee for his Best of British Blues tour of 1996 and Ruby Turner, but his main creative outlet was with his partnership with the Scottish blues singer, Tam White. Their collaboration developed into a trio, The Shoe String Band and a big band, the Celtic Groove Connection. White was present at Burrell's apartment in Marbella, Spain, when Burrell suddenly died of a heart attack during rehearsals, on September 21, 2006. He  was 60 years old.    


Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - 21st Century Schizoid Man, written by Lake*, McDonald*, Giles*, Sinfield*, Fripp* - 11:45

A2 - Peoria, written by Burrell*, Wallace*, Collins*, Fripp* - 7:30

A3 - The Sailor's Tale, written by Fripp* - 4:45



Side 2:

B1 - Earthbound, written by Burrell*, Wallace*, Collins*, Fripp* - 7:08

B2 - Groon, written by Fripp* - 15:30

Personnel:

King Crimson

    Robert Fripp – electric guitar
    Boz Burrell – bass guitar, vocals
    Mel Collins – Alto, Tenor and Baritone saxophone, mellotron
    Ian Wallace – drums

Additional personnel: 

    Hunter MacDonald – VCS3, engineering

Credits:

    Engineer – Hunter Macdonald, John Robson (tracks: A1, B2)
    Producer – Robert Fripp
    Technician [VCS3 Operated By] – Hunter*

Companies, etc.

    Published By – E.G. Music Ltd.
    Phonographic Copyright (p) – Island Records Ltd.
    Printed By – MacNeill Press Ltd.
    Produced For – E.G. Records Ltd.

Notes:
'Schizoid Man' and 'Groon' were recorded at Wilmington, Delaware on 11 February 1972; 'Peoria' at Peoria on 10 March 1972; 'The Sailors Tale' at Jacksonville, Florida 26 February 1972; 'Earthbound' at Orlando, Florida 27 February 1972.

The recordings were captured live on an ampex stereo cassette fed from a Kelsey Morris custom built mixer operated by John Robson and Hunter Macdonald on Schizoid Man and Groon and Hunter Macdonald on the other titles: at Jacksonville in the rain from the back of a Volkswagon truck.

VCS3 operated by Hunter.

On rear artwork:

All songs published by E.G. Music Ltd. 1971 ©
Produced for E.G. Records.
℗ 1971 Island Records Ltd.

On Labels:

E.G. Music Ltd. 1972 ©
Produced for E.G. Records.
℗ 1972 Island Records Ltd.

Sleeve printed and made by MacNeill Press Ltd.

The vinyl was originally housed in a faux crepe paper black inner sleeve.
           
King Crimson ~ Earthbound
Label: Island Records ‎– HELP 6
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1972
Genre: Rock
Style: Jazz-Rock, Prog Rock
       
        
       
Viewfinder links:           
        
King Crimson ~         
      Discipline             
      In the Court of the Crimson King       
      King Crimson articles/mentions      
         
Net links:           
        
King Crimson ~ Earthbound is for sale on Discogs  
King Crimson discography      
     
YouTube links:           
        
21st Century Schizoid Man                    
The Sailor's Tale       
Earthbound     
Groon      
          

 Belated happy birthday, Boz!

    
Styrous® ~ Sunday, August 20, 2016          











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June 9, 2017

20,000 Vinyl LPs 92: The Rolling Stones ~ Some Girls Miss You

vinyl LP, die-cut front cover detail
Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 detail photo of album cover by Styrous®



Some Girls is the 14th British and 16th American studio album by the Rolling Stones, released almost 40 years ago on June 9, 1978, on Rolling Stones Records. This is the original pressing with the die cut album cover which has celebrity faces on the front; the faces were removed on later issues. By sliding the inner sleeve back and forth the faces are interchangeable.  




vinyl LP, die-cut front cover
Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 photo of album cover by Styrous®



I remember the first time I heard, Miss you. I thought to myself, "Damn it! The Stones have sold out and gone disco!" However, I subsequently found myself dancing my ass off to the song night after night in some bar somewhere. It is a mighty good dance song and it became one of my favorite tunes at some point.    

Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood insist Miss you wasn't conceived as a disco song, while Richards said, "...Miss You was a damn good disco record; it was calculated to be one." In any case, what was going on in discotheques did make it to the recording. Charlie Watts said, "A lot of those songs like Miss You on 'Some Girls'... were heavily influenced by going to the discos. You can hear it in a lot of those four-to-the-floor and the Philadelphia-style drumming." For the bass part, Bill Wyman started from Preston's bass guitar on the song demo. Chris Kimsey, who engineered the recording of the song, said Wyman went "...to quite a few clubs before he got that bass line sorted out", which Kimsey said "made that song." Jagger sang a good part of the chorus using falsetto "ooh"s often in unison with harmonica, guitar and electric piano.     

Unlike most of Some Girls, Miss you features several studio musicians. In addition to Sugar Blue who, according to Wood, was found by Jagger busking on the streets of Paris, Ian McLagan plays understated Wurlitzer electric piano, and Mel Collins provides the saxophone solo for the instrumental break. Miss you was the last #1 pop hit by the Stones. 


vinyl LP back cover  

Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 photo of album cover by Styrous®




My next favorite songs are Far Away Eyes and Beast of Burden. No two songs could be more different yet have the same feeling. Each is a great slow dance song in its own way.      

Far Away Eyes is a classic country-western song in the best old time tradition with that great twangy guitar sound by Ron Wood, male chorus towards the end and wonderfully typical country western blues lyrics with a twist (link below).  

Beast of Burden is my next favoite. It hails from the traditional rock sound, just the way the Stones always did it; and nobody did it better. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #435 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and #433 on the 500 Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time.    

When the Whip Comes Down is remarkable in the Jagger-Richards repertoire. It’s the story of a gay man who comes to New York seeking his fortune and becomes a trash collector; the lyrics are explicit (link below).

Another song whose lyrics deal with New York is Shattered, an edgy love note to the City’s gritty late ’70s soul. Jagger reportedly wrote the lyrics, sung in sprechgesang, in the back of a Manhattan cab. Richards’ stuttering rhythm guitar riff, with a hint of phase shifter, has the impact of a snarling dog. The bass track is played by Ronnie Wood. It was released as a single in the United States with cover art by illustrator Hubert Kretzschmar and climbed to number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979.  



vinyl LP, die-cut front cover
Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 photo of album cover by Styrous®
 


By 1976, the Rolling Stones' popularity was in decline as the charts were dominated by disco music. Jagger is generally regarded as the principal creative force behind Some Girls. He claimed in a 1995 interview to have written a great number of the album's songs (though when the amount was pointed out to him he denied that the record was mostly his own), including its signature song, Miss You. In addition to punk, Jagger claims to have been influenced by dance music, most notably disco, during the recording of Some Girls, and cites New York City as a major inspiration for the album, an explanation for his lyrical preoccupation with the city throughout.       

"The inspiration for the record was really based in New York and the ways of the town. I think that gave it an extra spur and hardness. And then, of course, there was the punk thing that had started in 1976. Punk and disco were going on at the same time, so it was quite an interesting period. New York and London, too. Paris—there was punk there. Lots of dance music. Paris and New York had all this Latin dance music, which was really quite wonderful. Much more interesting than the stuff that came afterward." ~ Mick Jagger         


vinyl LP, cover detail
Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 detail photo of album cover by Styrous®

The album cover for Some Girls was conceived and designed by Peter Corriston, who would design the next three album covers, with Illustrations by Hubert Kretzschmar. An elaborate die-cut design, with the colours on the sleeves varying in different markets, it featured the Rolling Stones' faces alongside those of select female celebrities inserted into a copy of an old Valmor Products Corporation advertisement. 


Valmor Products Corporation ad 
vinyl LP back cover  

Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 photo of album cover by Styrous®



The cover design was challenged legally when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe threatened to sue for the use of their likenesses without permission. Similarly, Valmor did take legal action and were given a monetary award for the use of their design.   

The album was quickly re-issued with a redesigned cover that removed all the celebrities, whether they had complained or not. The celebrity images were replaced with black and punk style garish colours with the phrase "Pardon our appearance - cover under re-construction." Jagger later apologised to Minnelli when he encountered her during a party at the famous discothèque Studio 54. The only celebrity whose face was not removed was ex-Beatle George Harrison. As with the original design, the colour schemes on the redesigned sleeves varied in different markets.    




vinyl LP record sleeve

Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 photo of record sleeve by Styrous®


There is an interview, Facts About the Stones’ Most Notorious Record Cover, by John Hood on the Huffinton Post with sleeve co-creator Hubert Kretzschmar (link below).  



vinyl LP record sleeve

Design/Cover Concept – Peter Corriston
 photo of record sleeve by Styrous®



Some Girls: Live in Texas '78 is a live concert film by The Rolling Stones released in 2011 (link below). This live performance was recorded and filmed in 16 mm during one show at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, Texas on 18 July 1978, during their US Tour 1978 in support of their album Some Girls. The concert film was released on DVD/Blu-ray Disc, Combo (DVD & CD set) and (Blu-ray Disc & CD set) on 15 November 2011. The CD was exclusive to the combo sets, and was not released individually.   


Some Girls: Live in Texas '78 live concert film 





vinyl LP record, side 1

 photo by Styrous®

 




Some Girls reached #1 in the US and #2 in the UK, becoming their biggest-selling studio album with over 11 million copies sold worldwide. Beast of Burden, was released as second single in the US and it reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Respectable (in the UK) and Shattered (in the US) would follow as the next singles, both becoming Top 40 hits as well.    

Some Girls reached number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, and became the band's top selling album in the United States, certified by the RIAA as having six million copies sold as of 2000. It was a major critical success, becoming the only Rolling Stones album to be nominated for a Grammy in the Album of the Year category.     

In 2003 Some Girls was ranked number 269 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.      



vinyl LP record, side 2

 photo by Styrous®

vinyl LP record label, side 2

 photo by Styrous®



Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Miss You, Blues Harp [Harp] – Sugar Blue, Electric Piano – Ian McLagan, Saxophone – Mel Collins - 4:50

A2 - When The Whip Comes Down - 4:18

A3 - Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), Organ – Ian McLagan, written by Strong*, Whitfield - 4:25

A4 - Some Girls, Acoustic Guitar – Ron Wood, Bass – Keith Richards, Blues Harp [Harp] – Sugar Blue, Synthesizer – Bill Wyman - 4:40

A5 - Lies - 3:12

Side 2:

B1 - Far Away Eyes, Piano – Keith Richards - 4:24

B2 - Respectable - 3:05

B3 - Before They Make Me Run, Bass – Keith Richards, Recorded By, Mixed By – Dave Jordan, Slide Guitar – Ron Wood - 3:26

B4 - Beast Of Burden, Acoustic Guitar – Ron Wood - 4:24

B5 - Shattered, Bass, Lead Guitar, Bass Drum – Ron Wood, Tom Tom – Charlie Watts - 3:43  

 

 Companies, etc.

 

 Credits:

 

Notes:

Tim Hinkley was flown into Paris to record on this album. The producer Chris Kimsey wiped out Ian's work and replaced it with Tim's performances. Tim is not mentioned on the album's credits, however, there are various interviews which document this as well as his Wikipedia page.

Dark Blue-Pink-Green-Yellow Version. B/W (Liza Minnelli) side of inner sleeve has COC 39108 in right upper corner.

Alternative 1st cover from Plant "PR" with Some Girls celebrity faces

Shortly after release, this version was withdrawn and the celebrity faces included on the inner sleeve were removed.

There is a second, altered version with celebrity faces removed.   

Barcode and Other Identifiers

  • Matrix / Runout (Side 1 Label): ST-RS-784079-PR
  • Matrix / Runout (Side 2 Label): ST-RS-784080-PR
  • Matrix / Runout (Side 1 Etched): ST RS 784079 D (PR)P TJ
  • Matrix / Runout (Side 2 Etched): ST RS 784080 G (PR)P TJ
  • Matrix / Runout (Side 1 Stamped): STERLING
  • Matrix / Runout (Side 2 Stamped): STERLING
  • Rights Society: ASCAP

The Rolling Stones ~ Some Girls
Label: Rolling Stones Records ‎– COC 39108
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, 1st Version (Die Cut with Celebrity Faces)
Country: US
Released: June 9, 1978
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Rock & Roll, Classic Rock, Disco            
            
            
          
Viewfinder link:         
         
Mick Jagger                    
         Net links:      
      
Some Girls lyrics      
Some Girls ~ Rolling Stones website          
The Rolling Stones 'Some Girls – Live in Texas '78' review  
Huffington post ~ Hubert Kretzschmar interview         
The Guardian ~ The Rolling Stones: that 50-year itch…     
The New Yorker ~ Some More Girls: Twelve New Rolling Stones Songs
Elusive Disc Some Girls review         
Gibson review ~ Some Girls: Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll 

Some Girls Songs onYouTube:      
      
Miss You       
Beast of Burden   
Far Away Eyes
When the Whip Comes Down        
Respectable     
Shattered          
             
           
Styrous® ~ Friday, June 9, 2017 



















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