MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY; QUIET PARADE - QUIET PARADE

A surprise national breakout for the understated Halifax band, with significant Radio 2 play on CBC. Release number three sees the band getting more and more concise, the songs featuring solid, memorable choruses, hooks and bridges, enjoyable modern pop that does sound great on the radio. Producer Daniel Ledwell is there with his usual bag of tricks (heard on works by Jenn Grant,Gabrielle Papillon, etc.), and its a good partnership. The band is certainly looking to make the same kind of aurally captivating music as Ledwell.


There is a healthy optimism to the songs, and a real honesty in the lyrics. On Good Advice, singer Trevor Murphy admits "The truth is I'm scared, I've seen all the mistakes worth making." Musically, there are strong roots sounds with lots of harmonies, a kind of rural dream pop, with a healthy dollop of Nova Scotia fog. Murphy's vocals are friendly and comfortable, Julia Weir's answering harmonies right there through much of the material as well, another big part of the overall warmth. When Murphy sings "I wanna buy you a real house" in the penultimate song I Will Try, after complaining about the lousy pipes in the apartment, and vowing to live on the lake, you come to the realization that these are some pretty good people telling us how life is going for them. Glad to know ya.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: COLIN LINDEN - RICH IN LOVE

One-third of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, an in-demand producer for the likes of Bruce Cockburn and Colin James, T Bone Burnett's go-to guy for many of his projects, as well as the performance coach and some-time actor on the TV show Nashville, it's amazing Linden has the time to still make solo discs and write all the songs too. How he's managed to pull off some of the very best of his career in the middle of all this is equally impressive.


A roots guy way before the term was popularized, Linden keeps getting deeper into the good stuff. He follows some classic themes, such as the murder ballad (Delia Come For Me) but comes up with a new twist and a modern take, never sounding retro. His interests are varied enough that he keeps us guessing from cut to cut, moving from the haunting blues of the title cut to the smooth Les Paul innocence of Date With The Stars. Billy Swan would approve heartily of Luck Of A Fool. It's well-known that Linden befriended Howlin' Wolf when he was a mere lad, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn he had his ear to the basement window when Dylan and the Hawks were jamming in Big Pink too.


Linden always makes great sounding records, but of special note this time are the lyrics, some by him, others in collaboration. Opening cut Knob & Tube, which features guest harmonies from Amy Helm and an all-smiles groove played by Linden on mandolin, features lots of plays-on-word around vintage electronics ("Make these wires sparkle around my bakelite"). The Hurt references the annoyance Etta James felt towards Beyoncè after the youngster sang her theme song At Last for President Obama at his inaugural ball. No More Cheap Wine is just great advice: "Life's too short to drink no more cheap wine." I'll drink to that, and the entire album.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MARVIN GAYE - VOLUME ONE 1961 - 1965

While Marvin Gaye is known for making one of the great albums of all time, 1971's What's Going On, until that time, he was known mainly as a singles artist. All the Motown artists had been; Berry Gordy had focused on the 45 as his money-maker, and it really took Marvin and Stevie Wonder to show him there was bigger money to be made in the long-player by the time the '70's arrived. So most of us Motown fans have greatest hits records or label compilations rather than the albums the '60's stars released. Here, the first seven Gaye studio albums are collected in one box, most of them unknown and unheard even to big fans (like me).


Marvin Gaye actually started out as an album artist, making "serious" music rather than pop hits for kids. One of the earliest Motown signings, his first record saw him trying to carve out a niche as a smooth jazz crooner, in the Nat King Cole style. His album, The Soulful Moods Of Marvin Gaye was only the second Motown LP, released in 1961. A small combo joined the singer, who also contributed drums and piano on this set of mostly standards such as Witchcraft and My Funny Valentine. Berry Gordy produced the album, but didn't really want his new star doing this star. The deal was that Marvin could make his album, but also had to record some r'n'b for the kids. Guess what sold?


With Gaye now a force on the pop scene, his next one featured his current hit singles, Hitch Hike, Pride and Joy and Stubborn Kind Of Fellow. This is a particularly strong early Motown release, with all original tracks and no covers, songs written by Gaye and producers Gordy, Clarence Paul and Mickey Stevenson. So strong was the set that one of the album cuts, Wherever I Lay My Hat, didn't even rate a 45, finally becoming a huge European hit for Paul Young 20 years later in 1983.


Marvin hadn't given up on the adult music though. His third album, When I'm Alone I Cry from 1964 returned to the jazz field. This time he tried for a dark mood, with Billie Holiday's You've Changed, and other songs on the theme of lost love and growing apart. It wasn't bouncy and fun like Can I Get A Witness, and once again, both kids and adults paid little attention.


So it was back to the pop charts for album five, this time a disc celebrating his new partnership. In an effort to boost his career, Gaye was teamed up with Motown's current female star, Mary Wells, who had just hit the big time with My Guy. The Together album was a modest success, with two minor hits (Once Upon A Time and What's The Matter With You Baby), and even decent album sales, easily Gaye's best showing on larger platters to that point.


A mere seven months later Gaye released Hello Broadway, changing tactics once more. This saw him trying out show tunes, everything from My Kind Of Town to Hello Dolly. His version of People was a showstopper, but there was little else to excite, and once again, it failed to sell. So 1965 saw him back with more pop hits. How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You celebrated his most recent hit single, plus several others from the months before that hadn't been collected on album as yet. Gaye had recently begun working with Holland-Dozier-Holland, and they had brought him the excellent, smart You're A Wonderful One, and the lively Baby Don't You Do It, which showed what could happen when Marvin got moving. Despite his natural inclinations, he was always better when he got off the stool and danced instead of sitting on it and crooning.



He would give the sophisticated style one more shot with album seven. A Tribute To The Great Nat King Cole came out a few months after Cole died in 1965, and showed everything the type of artist Gaye wished he could be. Unfortunately, it also showed why he couldn't match up. Gaye needed passion in his performance to sound great (think I Heard It Through The Grapevine) rather than cool sophistication. Nature Boy, Ramblin' Rose, Mona Lisa, Unforgettable, they all fall flat with Marvin unable to put a spark in his performance.


Gaye was famous for being at odds with Motown and Gordy over the direction of his career. It's interesting that at various times one or the other was right. Marvin's version of Grapevine sat unissued for over a year before finally becoming one of the biggest pop hits of all time. Gordy was adamant that What's Going On shouldn't come out, but he was proven wrong immediately upon release. Yet Gaye was completely out of touch with goal to follow Cole and Ray Charles into jazz and supper clubs.


It all makes for an interesting, varied package here, never a poor listen but certainly uneven. It's quite grand to have these under one, cheaper roof. But certainly for a great star, they should have included a booklet with even the basic information, such as songwriters on some of the albums. I do like that $35 price tag for the CD's though. Not so much the $187 for vinyl.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: DAVID BOWIE - FIVE YEARS (box), SPACE ODDITY (45 picture disc)

There's no end in sight to the reissues and repackages of David Bowie's classic catalogue. The guy may not have invented reissue campaigns, but he sure has maximized and monetized the potential. Remember, Bowie's the one who sold bonds which used sales of his albums as collateral. This guy knows the value of Ziggy Stardust.


Each Bowie album has been re-released two or three times each, some with bonus cuts, some in anniversary boxes, some with remixes. What this does is collect everything from his first major period, the 1969 - 1973 era, from Space Oddity to the retirement of the Ziggy persona. Each album is here, all the b-sides are under one roof, the previously-released remixed audio, and some brand-new sonic upgrades, so that each album is now available in best-ever audio.


The packaging is first-rate, with a deluxe cube box holding the CD's, and a lengthy hard-cover book with write-ups on each album, tons of photos and a sincere tribute from Ray Davies to open things. Each CD comes in a mini-sleeve replica of the original albums, including inserts, and even includes protective rice paper mini-sleeves for the CD's. It's nice not to feel like corners have been cut, when you're paying top dollar.


I don't think I have to go through the quality of each studio album, these are well-documented. But many fans won't have the two live albums included here, Live Santa Monica '72 and the soundtrack to the movie Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, and both are tremendous. Santa Monica was from the heyday of the Ziggy era, on the first tour of the U.S. It has a few flaws, as it was a radio broadcast first, released decades later on CD, and has some blown lyrics and dicey solos at times, but mostly this is a band on fire, holding nothing back.


The Ziggy soundtrack was the last-ever show for the Spiders, Bowie surprising everyone, including the band, by announcing the group's demise just before the encore of Rock 'n' Roll Suicide. Too bad, they sound even better here a year later, Woody Woodmansey absolutely pulverizing the drums. Mick Ronson has to be heard live to appreciate his role in the Ziggy sound. These discs should increase the draw of the box for many folks.


The B-sides collection is a double-CD set called Re: Call 1, which hints at further collections, perhaps even further boxes. What you get here is actually pretty familiar to most Bowie fans, songs that have graced many packages, dating back to Changes 1 Bowie and showing up on various reissues, box sets, etc. There's only one previously unissued track in the bunch, and that's simply a mono mix of All The Madmen. You get all tracks such as Memory of a Free Festival, the track from Man Who Sold The World, but reworked into a two-part single. There are several single mixes that differ slightly from their album counterparts, including Changes, The Jean Genie, and Starman, where you can play spot the difference (there aren't many). Sadly, the box doesn't include all the bonus cuts issued on the Rykodisc reissue series of the '90's, which featured demos and unused album cuts. With those out-of-print, this is the one letdown here, a disservice really. They could have dumped the many slightly-edited tracks in favour of this other, far more interesting material.


Sound fans won't get better versions anywhere. Some of the remixes have been out before, such as the Ziggy and Aladdin Sane albums, but others are new to this set, such as Hunky Dory, The Man Who Sold The World and Pin Ups. Now, you can buy these remixed discs separately as well, but there is something about having them all under one set.


So you get 13 CD's here, the fine book, there's probably some stuff you don't have unless you are a big fan/collector, not bad at $169.


Oh, but Bowie reissues never stop. The ongoing 40th anniversary singles campaign has a new one as well. This time, it's Space Oddity, in the popular picture disc 45 format, backed with Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud. Wait, wasn't Space Oddity from 1969? If it's a 40th anniversary, it should be 1975, right? Well, it was also from 1975, because it went to #1 in England that year, as, you guessed it, a reissue. See? Told ya Bowie has always been big on reissues.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: DON HENLEY CASS COUNTY

Famous Rock Star: I want to make an album. Will you release it?


Big Record Label: No. Nobody buys old rock star's music anymore. They just go to your concerts.


Famous Rock Star: But I need to feel like a legitimate artist, not a has-been. I'll do anything.


Big Record Label: Okay, here's the deal. Guest stars. Has to be lots of them.


Famous Rock Star: Sure, I got lots of friends. I can get Jackson, Linda, Crosby, Nash, Stevie, Lindsay, the guys in my band...


Big Record Label: No no, they aren't hip anymore. We need country stars. They sell records.


Famous Rock Star: Country? Why country?


Big Record Label: Because you're making a country album.


Famous Rock Star: What? I'm a rock star. I can't do country.


Big Record Label: Sure you can. Jewel did it. Hootie did it.


Famous Rock Star: What does country sound like?


Big Record Label: Oh, exactly like you sounded in the '70's. Just make it like that. Just say that you've always really wanted to make a country album, and you're finally where you belong.


Famous Rock Star: Okay. I got the songs already.


Big Record Label: Great. Just book a pedal steel player.


Famous Rock Star: Done.  And, I got Mick Jagger.


Big Record Label: Hmm. Okay. But only if you get Miranda Lambert too. Deal?


Famous Rock Star: Deal.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MUSIC FROM LOVE & MERCY

This is the soundtrack to the acclaimed new biopic of Beach Boy leader Brian Wilson.  The favourable script focuses on his mental breakdown and subsequent rehab decades later, after years of malpractice and abuse.  Don't expect a Beach Boys greatest hits though, or even a Wilson one.  While there are some examples, it also includes several sections of the score, as composed by Atticus Ross.

It's actually quite interesting what Ross has done, trying to present audio that matches the torment of swirling voices Wilson had in his head.  He uses snippets of dialogue, some Beach Boys samples and clouds of new instrumental sections.  All the while, he keeps a connection to the original music Wilson composed, so there are hints all the way through of that sound, from the '60's surf hits to Pet Sounds era to his time adrift in the '70's.

For full songs, there are key Beach Boys numbers Don't Worry Baby, Good Vibrations and God Only Knows.  There's a brief passage of actor Paul Dano in the Wilson role doing a rough version of the latter from the film as well.  For Wilson solo cuts, there's a previously-released live version of Love and Mercy, his long-time theme song and concert closer, plus a new track as featured in the film, One Kind Of Love, not much of a tune to be honest, a typical example of his more bland recent ballads.  The attraction here will be the overall mix of the heady score pieces by Ross, going back and forth with classic Beach Boys productions, the ultimate mood music.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: PAUL MCCARTNEY - TUG OF WAR, PIPES OF PEACE REISSUES

The latest two deluxe and super-deluxe reissues from McCartney's past focus on his early 80's albums, a pair done post-Wings, and marking a major shift in his career. A couple of major events had happened: The drug bust in Japan was a big downer, and put an end to his touring days for the time being, and the murder of John Lennon was an even worse blow. He was feeling unloved and unappreciated, and that pushed him both creatively and competitively.


The first move was teaming up with George Martin again. This was risky on the p.r. front, as it invited Beatles comparisons. But it also meant the old habits would return, with the pair sparking each other with ideas. McCartney could go for pop hits again, a place he wanted to be, on top of the charts.


Tug Of War had a checklist of McCartney menu items. There were the fun hits (Ebony and Ivory, Take It Away), the serious songs (Here Today, Tug Of War), the quirky pieces that could have been part of the Abbey Road medley (Be What You See/Dress Me Up As A Robber). At times he hit pure excellence, such as the beautiful Wanderlust. For the most part though, everything was good, not great. The highlights were found in the less-calculated numbers such as Ballroom Dancing and The Pound is Sinking, when his playfulness came out. Ebony and Ivory and Take It Away got tiresome with repetition.


Pipes Of Peace was the quick follow-up in 1983, and continued the formula with some modest changes. Michael Jackson replaced Stevie Wonder as the guest star, perfect timing for both, with the inevitable hit Say Say Say hitting the top of the charts near the end of the Thriller run. The title cut was on the same theme as Tug Of War, another heartfelt but bland number. So Bad was a good little single, quite lovely but hardly a rocker, and didn't do enough to push the album along The hits ended there, and really, McCartney hasn't been a pop star since. He's made better albums in the 30 years after, but nothing that has captured his former gigantic fan club, other than his live concerts.


For the deluxe editions, there are several formats. The two-disc versions contain an extra set of bonus tracks for each. Both include several demos of album tracks, as well as period B-sides. There are also demos for cuts that didn't make the album, unreleased until now. There's nothing exciting among those cuts, but he made good demos, so it's fun to hear the embryonic versions. Best is a Pipes Of Peace out-take called It's Not On, one of those slightly odd tracks that certainly would have improved the final album. There's a totally useless, brand-new remix of Say Say Say that follows the remixer's dictum that if you want to make it different, speed up the original. The thing is, nobody wanted this remix in the first place.


If you shell out for the deluxe versions with the big hardbound book and photos, you'll also get a DVD with lots of content. There are the official videos for the singles off each album, plus there's behind-the-scenes footage that has been freshly edited into new packages. Best is a making-off piece on Take It Away, which has interview bits with Paul and Linda, actor John Hurt, and Ringo and George Martin clowning around. Worst is five minutes of Michael Jackson riding around on horseback with the McCartney children.


As usual with this archive series, the deluxe versions are the nicest, the large book a visual treat that would be cool to have for any fan. But then you have to justify the $63 current price tag, for decent but not deluxe music. The regular, 2-CD versions at $16 are the better bargain.