MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ARETHA FRANKLIN - ARETHA'S GREATEST HITS

Oh, it makes me so mad. Thanks to today's strict playlists, younger generations know who the superstars of the past are, but they don't know much more than one or two songs by most of them. Case in point, the Queen of Soul. Everybody knows Respect, and lots of people remember Think, thanks to that classic turn in The Blues Brothers movie. Recently, her amazing performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman at the Kennedy Center Honors for Carole King has brought that to a whole new audience. But ask most people to go further than that, and it's a challenge.


Yet we call her the Queen because of an incredible run of hits that started in 1967, when she switched to Atlantic Records, and the production team of Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin set her back down south with some incredible musicians and material, starting with I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You). Finally playing with a great team and the right songs, Aretha ran up a string of non-stop, stunning performances, both on 45s and on special albums such as Amazing Grace, a Top 10, double-platinum live set of gospel songs in a church. Her interpretations of the classic songs of the day, whether the hits of The Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel, featured completely different arrangements, proving over and over his ability to find the great truths and soulful moments inside every song.


This collection, now reissued on vinyl, came out in 1971, and was especially generous, for the times. Instead of the usual 10 or 12 cuts, it had 14, and even then, couldn't keep up with all the hits she had in those four glorious years since '67. Since she was putting out a single every three months, and every one was a smash, it was case of too much for one album to handle. Just to show the embarrassment of riches, Think, a Top 10 hit, isn't here. Neither is (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone, The House That Jack Built, and See Saw. All Top 10 hits. All from 1968 alone! In total, there were 29 chart hits in that time (and another in England), from which they could pull the 14, and 1972 started right away with Day Dreaming, a #5 hit and one of my all-time favourites.


So, as you can just imagine, here's a brilliant collection of songs, sounding great on vinyl, and this is why she's the Queen.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LITTLE FEAT - AS TIME GOES BY (LP)

Here's another big benefit of the rebirth of vinyl; classic overseas collections are being reissued as well, and sent this way. The contractual and marketing concerns of record labels have faded over time for some of these sets, so nobody is trying to control what gets released where, when it comes to greatest hits. Case in point, this excellent best-of for Little Feat released back in 1986 in Europe.


Although I've seen this imported tons over the years, it's the first time it's been available on LP that I can discover in North America. It's just what you want from the great 70s band, all the biggies, from the Lowell George-led days. Dixie Chicken, of course, Sailin' Shoes, Willin' , Rock 'n' Roll Doctor, All That You Dream, Spanish Moon, Feats Don't Fail Me Now, etc. You could debate a couple of tracks along the way, and be absolutely outraged that Fat Man in the Bathtub isn't here, while they included the weak 20 Million Things from George's solo album, but it's pretty close to perfect.


Oddly, there's never been a really good best-of for the band in North America. There are good big compilations, notably the retrospective/rare cuts set Hoy-Hoy! and the box, Hotcakes and Outtakes, but the 2006 CD The Best Of was scattershot and wanting, with too many post-Lowell cuts for a single disc. With this, on vinyl no less, I'm very satisfied, and it will cut a ton of plays.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LUCAS CHAISSON - TELLING TIME

I have a few shortcuts when it comes to music reviewing, just to get through the sometimes-overwhelming amount of releases that arrive. One that has never failed me over the past 15 years or so is: If Colin Linden produced it, listen close, you're going to like it. He could probably make a killer Donny and Marie album. Usually though, we have the same tastes, rootsy singer-songwriters surrounded by lots of warm, wooden instruments. Case in point, this young Edmonton fellow.


Now, being an East Coaster, his last name provided another shortcut for me, and sure enough, he is one of those Chaissons, the P.E.I. clan, generations-deep in folk music on the Island. He's a cousin of Tim, the wicked singer/fiddler/songwriter of The East Pointers. And Lucas is about to tour the Maritimes for the first time since releasing this highly regarded set back in 2015. So, I'm in.


Telling Time has this rich depth on each track, centered around Chaisson's homey voice and personal stories. Maybe they aren't all his tales, but they are touching and rich with detail, thick with memories, tinged with melancholy. The characters show up as much-loved ghosts from the past, with stories that are sad because they are in the past, some beautiful memories that are gone too soon. Time does that; yes, it heals, but it means we can't go back there, except in memories like these songs provide. Linden wisely gives several of these cuts the barest of accompaniment, his usual A-team players including John Dymond on bass and Gary Craig on drums.


You can see Lucas Chaisson in concert at the following:

• Sept. 8 - Le Cagibi - Montreal

• Sept. 9 - Grimross Brewery - Fredericton

• Sept. 11 - Plan B - Moncton, NB

• Sept 14 - Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club - Ottawa

• Sept. 15 - The Company House - Halifax

• Sept. 16 - Governor's Pub - Sydney, NS

• Sept. 18 - Centre Stage - Souris, PEI

• Sept. 20 - Baba's Lounge - Charlottetown

• Sept. 23 - Red Brick Cafe - Guelph, ON

• Sept. 25 - Cameron House - Toronto

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE HOLLIES - BUTTERFLY (LP)

The second of two albums released by The Hollies in 1967, and the second reissued on vinyl this summer, as a double album, the first copy in mono, the second in stereo. And actually this is the first time this album has been issued in Canada, as we got a totally different package first time out. It had a different cover, different title, and different track listing. While the British label still followed that practice of leaving singles off the albums, in North America, that was the standard, so this was named after two of them, bearing the unwieldy title Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse. And indeed that first song, just an album track in the U.K., was released as a 45, becoming a pretty decent Top 40 Canadian hit.


This was the last album featuring founding member Graham Nash, who had been in a struggle with the band and management over the band's direction for the past year. He saw the writing on wall, knew albums were where it was at, and doing all those cute singles wouldn't cut it much more. He got his way for awhile, and like its predecessor, Butterfly featured no outside material, at attempt to show the band was serious and hip. Nash's role had been increased, handling more writing and lead vocals, but the transition was rocky. The hits were drying up, and King Midas, one of their very best, was a huge failure in England. Pretty soon Nash was over in L.A. hanging out at Mama Cass's place, and meeting up with future cohorts Crosby and Stills. After he got back home and found out the group was keen on making their next album an all-Dylan covers set, he gave up, quit the band, left his marriage, left England and the rest was harmony history.


Despite the turmoil, like Evolution before it, this was a pretty strong L.P. The songs were breezy and well-made, and of course, had great vocals. Unlike Evolution, they weren't desperately trying to join the psychedelic revolution, so it's not burdened with clumsy effects, apart from the odd bird noise, and the trippy Try It. Nash's tunes especially were happy ear candy, Wishyouawish smart enough to be cool instead of bubblegum.


Bandmate Allen Clarke got the rest of the leads and songwriting, and was also growing, his Charlie and Fred a slice of British observation about a rag man and his cart horse, not too far away from a Kinks lyric, but with a grand brass arrangement. Tony Hicks, well, he wasn't keeping up, his Pegasus a lame attempt to find a topic, and yes, there's a line in there that mentions "flying horse".


What I like best about the album is the great mono mix, back when those things were an art form, and the sound of Nash's maturing voice, which he of course would put to great use over in the States. In the end, both parties were right. Nash's new songs, such as Marrakesh Express and Lady of the Island were much better for his new friends, and as for The Hollies, their Dylan covers album was a huge hit for them, and by 1969, they had He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, a #1 in the U.K. and Top 10 world wide. So, win-win. Pretty good album this, nice packaging too.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? (Blu-ray/CD)

This is a documentary produced for, and running on Netflix, about turbulent life of the incredibly talent Nina Simone, and if you're one of the three households in Canada not subscribing to the service, you can now pick up a copy for yourself on Blu-ray or DVD. There are benefits to this of course; better quality, both visual and audio, there's a few bonus interviews, nothing spectacular but appreciated, and there's also the chance that Netflix will dump it from the playlist at some point. It's an excellent piece, so I'd hate for you to miss it.


If you've never been exposed to her music before, I would be surprised if you don't come away amazed and a fan. There's never been anyone like her, a classically trained pianist with a tremendous alto, who blended jazz and soul and pop and show tunes and civil rights anthems and controversy in an explosive career. If you don't know her very intense story, well, where to start? Let's just say she suffered; from abuse, from racism, from mental illness, from chauvinism, from every kind of societal pressure. Yet she reached dizzying heights, not only with her art, which was never comprised, but with her success as well, joining the great intellects of the civil rights movement, standing, unblinking with Dr. King, Malcolm X, Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes. She became increasingly erratic thanks to her undiagnosed illness, and sadly her legacy has long been tainted by the stories. Hopefully the documentary, which was nominated for an Oscar last year, will go some way to restore her musical fame, as more and more people watch it.


Now, here's something they've done for this package which is darn brilliant and should be followed by many more video makers: Included in the package as a second disc is a well-curated best of. You can watch the film, get a thirst for more music, and go right to the cuts you've just had a sampling of. And of course, that's a good tempter even if you do have Netflix.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: WARREN ZEVON - A QUIET NORMAL LIFE - BEST OF (vinyl reissue)

Of course, it was anything but a quiet, normal life for Zevon, and his ultimate demise, although poignant, was years in the making, through the many moods and various toxins in which he indulged. If you prefer the romantic image of the Letterman show Zevon, don't read the family-authored biography, which lays it out plain, the way Warren wanted. Really, what son doesn't want to clean out his father's extensive porn collection after he dies?


Anyway, I guess you have to live it order to write a song like I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, and Zevon was, during his 70s - 80s period, the ultimate chronicler of the dark side. Here was a guy who sang "I'd rather feel bad than feel nothing at all." Of course, much of it was tongue-in-cheek, for our amusement, including Werewolves of London, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, and Poor Poor Pitiful Me ("She really worked me over good, she was a credit to her gender"). Lawyers, Guns and Money came from a true story, not quite as dramatic, but still, he knew how to have adventures and turn them into great stories.


But there wasn't much laughing in Play It All Night Long. If Alabama thought they got a bad rap from Neil Young, Zevon took it further: "Sweet Home Alabama, play that dead band's song/Turn those speakers up full blast, play it all night long." Later in his career, Zevon became known for tender, romantic tracks (oh, the irony), and those are here too, just overshadowed by the humour and violence and such. Bob Dylan sure noticed Accidentally Like A Martyr, naming a whole album after a single line, "Time out of mind."


As you can tell, I love quoting Zevon, and every song had one, two, 10 amazing lines. In Desperadoes Under The Eaves, there's this killer verse: "And if California slides into the ocean, as the mystics and statistics say it will/I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill." This greatest hits album has long been a favourite even of fans who own all the records, simply because it is non-stop perfect, from start to finish. Another great return to vinyl, and goodness, doesn't Waddy Wachtel's guitar and Zevon's piano shine through in good old analog?

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: ROSS NEILSEN - ELEMENTAL

Quite a departure for the blues/roots singer-songwriter, who recently moved from the East Coast to the Prairies. Or rather, departures, as each song here features something different and new. Woman's Name is all swagger with a big, slow groove and nasty slide, but that's followed up by Devil Made You, which sounds like a whole different guy, a dark country number. A droning violin gives Ash Fault a haunting, far East feel, while gentle acoustic play on City Of Regret marks a tender moment.


Neilsen is aided by producer Steve Marriner throughout, including some quite different studio sounds, which help take the tracks into further surprising places. It doesn't have to be major; just the bit of different sheen on the various guitars, mandolin and stringed stuff on Nobody Gets Lonely sets this country-styled cut off into something more modern, and I can't think of anyone else making a track like this. Plus, following it up with a the sleek soul of horn-filled The Race, there's another whole new sound for both the disc and Neilsen, one he could easily follow for an entire new career, as it's the best song on the set.


There's a story arc to the album, as the darkness lifts as it goes along, The Arrow a fun and funky number, the mood much more positive. Neilsen describes the recording process as quite a personal journey in the liner notes, and certainly you can hear that. So, to sum up, it's a deep, dirty, sad, funky, uptempo, downbeat, country-blues-rock-soul-singer-songwriter-electric-acoustic-haunted-lively groove.