Television - Double Exposure (1975)

Television's roots can be traced to the teenage friendship between Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell, who met at Sanford School in Hockessin, Delaware, from which they ran away. Both moved to New York, separately, in the early 1970s, aspiring to be poets, and when they re-connected they formed their first group together, The Neon Boys. Consisting of Verlaine on guitar and vocals, Hell on bass and vocals and Billy Ficca on drums, the group lasted from late 1972 to 11 March 1973, during which time they did some recording, with a 7-inch record featuring 'That's All I Know (Right Now)' and 'Love Comes In Spurts' being released in 1980, following the success of their next band. Renaming themselves Television, the group reformed on 12 March 1973, recruiting Richard Lloyd as a second guitarist, and after a year of rehearsals they played their first gig at the Townhouse Theater on 2 March 1974. Their new name was devised by Hell, and was a pun on 'tell a vision', as well as a reference to reclaiming the dominant media of the era. Their manager, Terry Ork, persuaded CBGB owner Hilly Kristal to give the band a regular gig at his club, and after playing several times at CBGBs in early 1974, they performed at Max's Kansas City and other clubs, returning to CBGBs in January 1975, where they established a significant cult following. 

Richard Williams, Island Records' A&R rep in London at the time, and keen to find something new, spotted Television, and demo sessions were arranged for December at Good Vibrations studios. The idea was to produce rough demos that he could take back to London in order to convince the company that they were worth signing, and to strengthen his case he took along Brian Eno, as he was also intrigued by the scene evolving in New York. They all spent two days recording and one day mixing five of Verlaine's songs, but none of Hell's, which in retrospect  could have been a sign that he would soon be out of the band. Back in London, however, very few people at the company showed a positive response to the demos, and so they were put to one side, although they were later bootlegged. Initially, song-writing was split almost equally between Hell and Verlaine, with Lloyd being an infrequent contributor as well, but friction began to develop as Verlaine, Lloyd, and Ficca became increasingly confident and adept with both instruments and composition, while Hell remained defiantly untrained in his approach. Verlaine, feeling that Hell's frenzied onstage demeanour was upstaging his songs, reportedly told him to "stop jumping around" during their gigs, and occasionally refused to play Hell's songs, such as 'Blank Generation', in concert. 

This conflict, as well as one of Hell's songs being picked up by Island Records, led him to leave the group and take some of his songs with him. He co-founded the Heartbreakers in 1975 with former New York Dolls Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan, and then later formed his own group, Richard Hell And The Voidoids. Fred Smith, briefly of Blondie, replaced Hell as bassist, and in two hours on 19 August 1975, Television cut a handful of demos on an infirm TEAC 4-track owned by Jay Dee Daugherty, drummer for Patti Smith's group, including two tracks that never made it to their debut album. 'Little Johnny Jewel' from the sessions was pressed up as a single, split over two sides of a 7", and was released on Ork Records in September 1975, and less than a year later they'd signed a deal with Elektra Records, and were recording their debut long-player, the classic 'Marquee Moon'. To hear how they got there, listen to these early demos, and see that the band was pretty much fully formed up to two years before that first album was released. 

Track listing

01 Prove It
02 Friction
03 Venus De Milo
04 Double Exposure
05 Marquee Moon
06 Hard On Love
07 Friction 
08 Careful
09 Prove It
10 Fire Engine
11 Little Johnny Jewel

Wobbler - Leprechaun Behind The Door (2012)

Like Airbag, who I've already championed in the blog, Wobbler are a neo-progressive rock band from Norway, comprising Kristian Karl Hultgren on bass, bass clarinet, and bass recorder, Lars Fredrik Frøislie on keyboards, Martin Nordrum Kneppen on drums, percussion, and recorder, Morten Andreas Eriksen on lead guitar, mandolin, and tambourine, and Tony Johannessen on lead vocals. They formed near Hønefoss, Norway, in early 1999, with a desire to recreate some of the musical expressions of the early 1970's, especially in the use of the instruments of that time and the compositions of the progressive rock scene from 1969 to 1974. Bands like PFM, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Yes, Museo Rosenbach, ELP and so on were highly influential on the group, and in a few months the basic ideas were in place for what they wanted their music to sound like. There was then a pause from 2001 to around 2003, when a demo of two of those 1999 songs was recorded at Frøislie's studio, and put out on the internet. Wobbler ended up signing a record deal with the American record label The Laser's Edge, and by now, Frøislie's vintage keyboard collection had grown, and the recording of their debut album 'Hinterland' began in June 2004. 

They did not use any MIDI, and only pre-1975 instruments were applied, including Mellotron, Hammond organ, Minimoog, Rhodes piano, clavinet, ARP, piano and harpsichord, and after eight months of studio work the album was ready, and 'Hinterland' was revealed at NEARfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, during one of their rare live performances in July 2005. 'Afterglow' followed in February 2009, released by their new label Termo Records, and it was this record that introduced me to this superb band, although there were internal changes going on, with original vocalist Johannessen leaving and being replaced by Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo, who still sings with them today. Their third album 'Rites At Dawn' was released by Termo Records in May 2011, and this prompted another change in personnel, with Geir Marius Bergom Halleland replacing Eriksen on lead guitar. After a long hiatus, their fourth album, 'From Silence To Somewhere', appeared in 2017, and it met with overwhelming acclaim. As of April 2021, it was the top rated album of the entire twenty-first century on the progressive rock database Prog Archives, with an average user rating of 4.35 from over 700 ratings, and the website's thirty-second-highest rated album of all time. 

Although the album's niche genre resulted in limited exposure in some parts of the music press, it received reviews ranging from favourable to rapturous on Angry Metal Guy, The Prog Space, Prog Report, Prog Radar, and Team Rock, while the Norwegian website Evig lyttar ranked it as the best Norwegian album of the year. The band's fifth and most recent album, 'Dwellers Of The Deep', was released in October 2020, and quickly jumped to the top of the Prog Archives 2020 albums chart within two days of its release. Band members Prestmo, Kneppen, and Frøislie have also collaborated with other Norwegian prog artists on the long-running project 'The Chronicles Of Father Robin', which has released three volumes of 'The Songs & Tales Of Airoea' in 2023 and 2024, initially as a crowdfunded box set, and later via individual releases on Karisma Records. As an introduction to the band for anyone who doesn't know them, here are the two 1999 songs that they recorded as demos in 2003, one of which has yet to appear on a studio album, and to flesh out an otherwise rather short record, I've included a track from one of their very infrequent live concerts from 2012.

Track listing

01 Imperial Winter White Dwarf
02 Leprechaun Behind The Door
03 In Taberna

Soulseek update 2

Following my last Soulseek update I've had many people ask for Mega links, and mentioning that they can no longer access my files on Soulseek. Having spent some time on my other laptop, I've found that I can no longer access them either, so I would normally say that there must be something wrong with my uploading, except for the fact I am seeing many downloads every day, including recent posts, and so the issue must be with some people's downloading access. I still have no idea what has happened, but as it is affecting so many people then it must be that something has gone wrong at Soulseek itself, and we can only hope that it fixes itself as quickly as it broke. In the meantime, email me at aiwe2@yahoo.com for the Mega links until it gets itself sorted out.  

pj

Essex Green - Fabulous Day - The Best Of Essex Green (2018)

Essex Green was formed in mid-1997 after four members of the Burlington, Vermont-based indie pop band Guppyboy relocated to Brooklyn, New York to start a project that incorporated psychedelia and cosmic music into its sound Singer/guitarist Chris Ziter, singer/keyboardist Sasha Bell, guitarist Jeff Baron, and bassist Mike Barrett were joined by drummer Tim Barnes, and the group appeared at various New York City clubs before touring the East Coast with Aden and Saturnine. Their first release was an early-1999 split single on Sudden Shame Records with its alt-country alter ego, the Sixth Great Lake. Also in 1999, they were asked by Robert Schneider to be a part of the Elephant Six Collective and recorded a self-titled EP for the label, and then shortly afterwards their debut full-length for Kindercore, 'Everything Is Green'. Bell and Baron also joined the like-minded Brooklyn group The Ladybug Transistor, but their time spent with that band meant less time for Essex Green activities, as did Bell's work on her solo project the Finishing School, whose debut album, 'Destination Girl', came out in 2003. By this time Bell had left The Ladybug Transistor and Baron had downgraded to contributor, which meant more time for the Essex Green. 

The band, now a trio following Barrett and Barnes' exit, signed to Merge Records and began work on their second album, toning down the eclectic psych-pop of their debut recordings in favor of a more relaxed folk-rock approach. 'The Long Goodbye' was released in 2003, and after some time spent touring the world, the band members headed to the Manhattan studio of producer Britt Myers, where they began sessions for their third album. 'Cannibal Sea' cut out any remaining traces of country-rock from their approach, and was released by Merge in early 2006. The band spent a solid year touring behind the record, then hit a snag when Ziter moved to Cincinnati, after which Bell moved to San Francisco and Baron to Pittsburgh. With the three members in different cities and their real lives getting in the way, it took nearly a decade before they worked on music together again. Bell had even stopped playing music entirely for a few years until she moved to Montana and, with the help of some friendly record-store clerks, started playing shows as the Sasha Bell Band. Meanwhile, Ziter and Baron had both moved back to Burlington, and the trio decided the time was right to reunite. They played some shows in 2016 and began seriously working on another album, with the three members trading song ideas across the country. Bell then went to Vermont for some sessions, and a couple of years' work led to their third album, 'Hardly Electronic', a richly arranged slice of chamber pop that was issued by Merge in mid-2018. Nothing more has been heard of them since then, but they've left behind a catalogue of excellent baroque-pop songs, and this album collects some of the best of them for your consideration.  

Track listing

01 Sloane Ranger (from 'Hardly Electronic' 2018)
02 Don't Know Why (You Stay) (from 'Cannibal Sea' 2006)
03 The Late Great Cassiopia (from 'The Long Goodbye' 2003)
04 The Pride (from 'Cannibal Sea' 2006)
05 Janaury Says (from 'Hardly Electronic' 2018)
06 Penny & Jack (from 'Cannibal Sea' 2006)
07 Southern States (from 'The Long Goodbye' 2003)
08 Rabbit (from 'Cannibal Sea' 2006)
09 Our Lady In Havana (from 'The Long Goodbye' 2003)
10 Mrs. Bean (from 'Everything Is Green' 1999)
11 Catatonic (from 'Hardly Electronic' 2018)
12 Primrose (from 'Everything Is Green' 1999)
13 Fabulous Day (from 'The Essex Green' EP 1999)
14 Waikiki (from 'Hardly Electronic' 2018)
15 Rue De Lis (from 'Cannibal Sea' 2006)

Rhona Bennett - Rhona (2001)

Rhona Lynn Bennett-Simon was born on 10 May 1976 in Chicago, and was raised with her elder sister, former Chicago Force right guard Roz Bennett. She began her musical journey as a child, singing in church choirs in her hometown, most notably with the renowned Soul Children, and at the age of 11 she became background singer at the ETA Creative Arts Theater, where she performed her first major part in a stage production of 'A Christmas Carol'. In 1990, Bennett auditioned to became a Mouseketeer on Disney Channel's revival of 'The Mickey Mouse Club', a variety show presented by 19 dancing and singing teenagers, who acted in skits, appeared in videos, and interviewed celebrities. Following a successful casting, she joined the Mouseketeer roster during the show's fourth season in 1991, with the ensemble at the time featuring several emerging talents, including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez. Encouraged by friends, she decided to try her luck in California as an actress, and was soon appearing in sitcoms such as 'Living Single', 'The Single Guy', and 'Martin'. In late 2000 she signed with Sony Music under producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins' newly founded boutique imprint Darkchild Records, where she was given the title "First Lady Of Darkchild". Jerkins recruited most of his regular collaborators to work alongside Bennett and him on her self-titled debut album, including Robert "Big Bert" Smith, LaShawn Daniels, and his brother Fred Jerkins III. 

The album's first single, 'Satisfied', released in March 2001, became a top five hit on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart the following month, but failed to chart or sell noticeably elsewhere. Following a promotional world trip, further plans to release 'Rhona' were put on hold after a fallout between Sony Music and Darkchild Records, and consequently, the album received a limited Japan-only release, and Bennett was soon dropped from the label. In 2004 she was asked to join R&B girl group En Vogue as a performing member to replace Amanda Cole, after being recommended to the band's mentor Denzel Foster. During her five-year tenure with the band, En Vogue released the album 'Soul Flower' in 2004, and following several years of touring, Bennett left the band amid their 20th Anniversary World Tour in 2008, due to the return of original member Dawn Robinson. Following her departure from En Vogue, Bennett began work on her second solo album, 'The Anticipation Of R&B', under her own label, Tone'n'Rhone Productions. She worked with a variety of musicians on the project, including producers J.Y. Park, Cool Ruckus, Peter Zora, as well as guest vocalists such as Brandy, 40 Glocc and her former En Vogue colleagues Terry Ellis and Cindy Herron. Preceded by the singles 'Range' and 'Letting You Go'. the album was shelved in 2010 due to internal conflicts and insufficient promotion, with a third single, 'Don't Call Me' also eventually being cancelled. 'Rhona' was a perfectly fine album, and didn't deserve to be consigned to a limited one-month release in Japan, so here it is for fans of En Vogue and similar girl groups to enjoy.

Track Listing

01 Satisfied
02 The Best Of Me 
03 Take What Comes To You 
04 The First Time
05 Last Goodbye
06 Time Will Tell 
07 Miss The Way
08 I Will 
09 I Want To Know What Love Is
10 I Look To The Sky
11 The Meaning Of Love 

The Sons Of Adam - Feathered Fish (1966)

The Sons Of Adam formed in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1962 as The Iridescents, and featured bassist Mike Port, and guitarist Randy Holden, who had previously played in other local rock and roll bands. By 1963 they had enlisted Sonny Lombardo on drums, then added Joe Kooken (later known as Jac Ttanna) on guitar to complete the original line-up. They started out as a surf rock and instrumental group, as Holden was a fan of Duane Eddy, and by the end of 1963 the band's repertoire had become completely dominated by surf influences. They changed their name to The Fendermen, and made arrangements to relocate to Southern California, in hopes of riding the crest of the then-current surf rock craze, and to find success in Los Angeles, which was becoming a centre of the recording industry. As drummer Sonny Lombardo was unable to accompany them to California, the band recruited a new drummer, Bruce Miller, and in order to play gigs at nightclubs and bars, where the drinking age was 21, the band members went to Tijuana, Mexico and had fake IDs made. They were eventually able to get steady work playing gigs at the popular night-spot, Gazzarri's, and in 1964 they changed their name to The Fender-Menn IV, and later The Fender IV, a move partially motivated by a deal they made with Fender to provide the group with free equipment. They signed with managers Bill Doane and Ozzie Schmidt who were familiar with surf and the West Coast scene, and in the summer of 1964 they recorded two singles as The Fender IV for the Imperial Records label. 

Several months before they recorded this first single, The Beatles had appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the British Invasion had swept the music industry, so the flip side of the record, 'You Better Tell Me Now', was a Mersey-inspired vocal track, but despite the other band members beginning to feel the pull of The Beatles, Holden was reluctant to make the full switch away from instrumental music. However, after having a chance to meet and jam with Brian Jones and Bill Wyman before The Rolling Stones' performance on the Hollywood Palace TV show, his reluctance to embrace vocal rock subsided. In 1964 drummer Bruce Miller was drafted into the Army, so they found Keith Kester to take his place, and they became a frequent attraction at clubs on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. By 1965, the band's musical direction had shifted dramatically to a beat group orientation, and after being seen by Dewey Martin, who had been performing as the leader of Sir Raleigh & The Coupons, they recorded a single, 'Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day', on the Jerden label. Back in Los Angeles, they resisted Martin's attempts to replace Holden with Neil Young, and continued to perform as The Fender IV with Kester, whose personality and image differed from that of other group members, and so was replaced by drummer Michael Stuart. 

It was during this time that they changed their name to The Sons Of Adam, which was suggested by record producer and impresario Kim Fowley, and they replaced The Walker Brothers as resident band at Gazzarri's. After auditioning for producer Gary Usher, they secured a recording contract with Decca Records, and they made a brief appearance playing in a nightclub scene in the 1965 movie 'The Slender Thread', starring Anne Bancroft, although the music was later overdubbed by session musicians. In 1965 they recorded their first single with Usher producing, and 'Take My Hand' was released in mid-October, although it failed to gain any traction on the charts. By the end of the year, disappointed in lack of record sales, the band broke off connections with Bill Doane and Ozzie Schmidt, and they entered into an unwritten agreement with Dick St John (of Dick & Dee Dee) and Mike Post. In 1966 they returned to the studio with Usher to record 'Saturday's Son', an anthem of alienation featuring Randy Holden on lead guitar and vocals, and it was released in July with their version of 'You're A Better Man Than I' as the flipside. 

The band believed that they had a strong record that had a chance to break them in the charts, but the single failed to catch on, and as the year progressed, Holden's behaviour, and emphasis on volume, became increasingly erratic, and his relationship with the other band members became strained. They eventually pushed him out, a decision they later regretted, and replaced him with Craig Tarwater on lead guitar, with Holden going off to join The Other Half. The Sons Of Adam continued to play and record, releasing another single on Alamo records, featuring 'Feathered Fish', written by Arthur Lee of Love, who was attempting to convince drummer Michael Stuart to join his band. However, without Randy Holden the band lost much of its former musical chemistry, and following Lee's constant requests, Stuart finally decided to join Love as their drummer, just in time for the recording of the seminal 'Forever Changes' album. He was replaced by Randy Carlisle from The Yellow Payges, but Tarwater soon left to join The Daily Flash, and by June 1967 The Sons Of Adam had disbanded. By this time they'd recorded three singles and some demos, and were a well-respected live act, so they had enough material to release their debut album in 1966, and if they had then it could have sounded very much like this. 

Track listing

01 Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day
02 Without Love
03 Mr Sun
04 Saturday's Son
05 It Won't Be Long
06 Baby Show The World
07 You're A Better Man Than I
08 Take My Hand
09 Gloria
10 The Long Road
11 Feathered Fish
12 Go Away
13 You Make Me Feel Good
14 I Told You Once Before

Various Artists - Those Darned Horns Have Gone Again! (1982)

I know that the original collection of de-horned music was just an experiment, and something of a humourous post on my part, but it attracted some positive (and admittedly negative) comments, and even some suggestions for a second volume, so here it is. If nothing else, it once again shows that some tracks which are really well-known for their horn section are just as good without it, although one exception is the suggestion of 'Pick Up The Pieces' by The Average White Band, as without the brass there is literally nothing there!

Track Listing

01 Alone Again Or - Love
02 Beat Surrender - The Jam
03 Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago
04 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out - Bruce Springsteen
05 Lucretia MacEvil - Blood Sweat & Tears
06 Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
07 Geno - Dexy's Midnight Runners
08 Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago
09 Vehicle - The Ides Of March
10 Dance To The Music - Sly And The Family Stone
11 Go Down Gamblin' - Blood Sweat & Tears
12 One Fine Morning - Lighthouse

A gift from PowerPopTom - Part 8

Powerpop Tom has been busy again, and has sent me another batch of CD covers for some of the posts of the blog, just in case you want to burn them to a CDr. Quite a selection this time, from recent posts to some older ones, so help yourself. 

In this collection

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper (Mike's Mix)

Big Star - Thank You Friends

Donovan - To Whom It May Concern

Elton John - The Debut Album

Elton John - Top Of The Pops

Elton John - Young Man's Blues

Elton John & Linda Peters - The Warlock Demos

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - The Barbarian

Eric Clapton - Backyard Blues

Eric Clapton - The Delaney Mix Of The First Album

Eurythmics - Version

Genesis - The Lamb Suite

John Mayall - I'm Your Witchdoctor

John McLaughlin & Carlos Santana - A Live Supreme

Neil Christian & The Crusaders - Get A Load Of This 

Oasis - J.I.L.Y.

Oasis - The Reunion

Rachel Flowers - A Tribute To Keith Emerson

Rachel Flowers - Hearing Prog Is Believing

Santana With Eric Clapton - Jam At Wally's Place

Various Artists - An Alternative Hendrix

Various Artists - Sound Chaser

Various Artists - The Hitmakers Sing Carole King

Various Artists - The Hitmakers Sing Lou Reed

The Velvet Underground - Yesterday's Parties

Yes - The Golden Age

Young Marble Giants - This Way

Soulseek hint - cd covers aiwe

ABBA - Opus 10 (1982) **UPGRADE**

I fancied listening to a bit of ABBA the other day, and so dug out this album, but on playing it I noticed that a few of the tracks were less than perfect sound quality. Since I originally posted this one, some of these tracks have appeared on a deluxe re-issue of 'The Visitors', so I've replaced those with better quality takes. I've also fixed the beginning and end of 'Every Good Man', as well as extending the mid-section and toning down the bass a bit. I've managed to source a longer version of 'Just Like That', which also didn't start with that incongruous saxophone solo, and I've boosted the vocals on the verses of 'Under Attack', as they were very low in the mix. Lastly I've added in 'Should I Laugh Or Cry' as the final track, as although it was listed on the post, it was somehow omitted from the actual album, and I've rejigged the running order a bit, so with some subtle improvements to the cover as the final touch, here is what I hope is a significant upgrade to this album.  

Track listing

01 Under Attack

02 You Owe Me One

03 The Day Before You Came

04 Elaine

05 Opus 10

06 I Am The City

07 Cassandra

08 Every Good Man

09 Just Like That

10 When The Waves Roll Out To Sea

11 Givin' A Little Bit More

12 Should I Laugh Or Cry

Soulseek update

I don't know what's going on with Soulseek at the moment, but there seem to be a lot of people who can no longer see my albums on it, which is strange as there are still loads who can, and are able to download them. I did change my broadband supplier a month ago, but I'm pretty sure this was happening before then, so I've spent an hour looking at port forwarding, but I came away none the wiser. I used to be able to see my own albums on another laptop (it appears that you can't search yourself for some reason), but I can no longer find them either, so something is definitely wrong. If anyone has any suggestions, or if the same thing has happened to them and they found a solution, then please let us all know. In the meantime, Mega links are available at the email address on the right for anyone who can suddenly no longer access my files. 

pj

Talking Heads - Tentative Decisions (1975)

In 1973, Rhode Island School of Design students David Byrne (guitar and vocals) and Chris Frantz (drums), formed a band, The Artistics, with fellow student Tina Weymouth, Frantz's girlfriend, often providing transportation. The Artistics dissolved the following year, and the three moved to New York City, eventually sharing a communal loft. After they were unable to find a bassist, Weymouth took up the role, with Frantz encouraging her to learn to play bass by listening to Suzi Quatro albums. Byrne asked Weymouth to audition three times before she joined the band, and they played their first gig as Talking Heads opening for the Ramones at CBGBs on 5 June 1975. According to Weymouth, the name Talking Heads came from an issue of TV Guide, which explained the term used by TV studios to describe a head-and-shoulder shot of a person talking as 'all content, no action'. Later that year, the band recorded a series of demos for CBS, but, surprisingly, considering the quality of the songs, they did not receive a record contract. However, they were building up a following from their live work, and in November 1976 they signed to Sire Records. They released their first single in February the following year, 'Love → Building On Fire', and in March 1977, they added Jerry Harrison, formerly of Jonathan Richman's band The Modern Lovers, on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals, cementing the classic line-up of the band. So that we can hear what CBS couldn't appreciate, here are those 1975 demos, recorded by the three piece Talking Heads.

Track listing 

01 Psycho Killer
02 Sugar On My Tongue
03 Thank You for Sending Me An Angel
04 I Want To Live 
05 I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That
06 The Girls Want To Be With The Girls 
07 Who Is It?
08 With Our Love
09 Stay Hungry
10 Tentative Decisions 
11 Warning Sign 
12 I'm Not In Love 
13 The Book I Read 
14 Love → Building On Fire 
15 No Compassion 

Ronee Martin - Soul Of My Heart (1997)

Veronica "Ronee" Martin was born on 24 November 1953 in Columbia, Virginia, and upon graduating high school she moved to Washington D.C. to live with her mother. At age six, she became fascinated with music and would begin performing solos in church, with her tastes gradually evolving from gospel to country to Motown, and she would begin performing professionally as she entered adulthood. She worked as a backing vocalist for artists like Wynton Marsalis and Patti LaBelle, and also worked with Van McCoy, who produced the group Destiny that she was a part of. They were the opening act for two more late greats, Aretha Franklin and Eddie Kendricks, and they also toured with Special Delivery. She then moved to California to record demos for Burt Bacharach, Carol Bayer Sager, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Alan Rich, Jud Friedman, and Gerry Stober. She was also a song-writer, and wrote the lyrics for 'This Is Love', which was recorded by Gladys Knight on her 'Good Woman' album. After signing to the Soundwings Record label in 1985, she released her debut album, 'Sensation', which featured guest appearances from Hubert Laws, Joe Sample and Tom Scott. In 1995 Bruce Walker (former general manager of MoJazz and Motown A&R VP), announced that they had just found their very own Anita Baker, and signed her to his label, where she started working on her second album, with a release date set for June/July 1996, later delayed to April 1997. Promotional CDs of 'Soul Of My Heart' were distributed, but the transition at Motown at that time did not favour adult orientated music, and so the album was cancelled and remains unreleased. Nothing much more was heard from Martin for 20 years, until she appeared on the eleventh season of 'America's Got Talent', competing against other artists such as Grace VenderWaal. MoJazz missed a trick in not releasing 'Soul Of My Heart', as it really is an excellent soul/R&B album, and so here it is for you to enjoy. 

Track listing

01 As Long As I'm Loving You  
02 Good To Be Loved  
03 When It Comes To Me 
04 No Trouble At All  
05 Finally Over You  
06 It's Spring Again  
07 I Believe In Love  
08 The Pressure's On  
09 I Can Smile Again  
10 Anything For You  
11 A Better Man 
12 Giving Up  

Various Artists - Rarities Row Vol. 2 (2025)

Welcome back to volume 2! For those that missed it the first time around… Recently I was on the hunt for a rare song in my massive collection of fourteen 14 TB hard drives and as I was searching I thought what a shame it is that I have all this cool stuff and only share bits and pieces here and there when needed. So I thought I would start a new series here that doesn’t just focus on one artist at a time… but various artists from my entire collection. Thus was the birth of Rarity Row. Volume 2 features more great (and less known) artists - folks you might be familiar with, like Prince, Talking Heads, Steely Dan, and the Eagles, and those you might not be as familiar with (but should be!) like The Carpenters and Suzanne Vega. And even a few you’ve never heard of (BUT DEFINITELY SHOULD!) like Millard Powers, and his track is so strong, I chose it as my leadoff for this volume. Millard comes from a family tree that sprouts some of my favourite fun type of music…Power Pop. In other volumes of The Row I’ll feature Owsley, The Semantics and Ben Folds, three more from the Power Pop genre that I dig so much, and I know you will too! But for now, let’s just get on with the music. It was a blast putting this volume together...and to know that there are so many more to come. 

Enjoy! 

Michael 

Track list and a bit more info: 

01 She’s So Clean 

Millard Powers - from 'Millard Powers' (Out Of Print) 

Avery Millard Powers III (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and student at the Grammy-nominated recording engineer. While at  University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the 1980's, he collaborated with fellow student Ben Folds and with Alabama-based singer songwriter Owsley, both of which he continued to work with as a musician and as a producer for the next several decades. Since 2005, he has played bass guitar in the band Counting Crows. Powers released a self-titled solo album in 2001, playing all instruments (bass, guitar, drums, keyboard), recording, producing, mixing, and engineering the album himself in his apartment in Nashville, Tennessee. No other artists were featured on the album.  

02 Get Up Kate (Demo) 

The Eagles 1972 - Rare and Unreleased (mostly Live) - recorded 1971, unreleased. 

A rocker with a Frey lead vocal, 'Get Up Kate' was cut as a studio track for the debut LP but was never officially released. A live version, featuring harmonies by Linda Ronstadt, appears on one of her compilations, and the band’s studio version can be found online. The story goes that after returning from their London sessions with Glyn Johns, the band went back to the studio with producers Bill Halverson and Wally Heider to record additional tracks, but 'Get Up Kate' (written by Frey), was shelved. High harmonies give the choruses snap and the dual-guitar stuff has spunk. The Eagles recorded a record of unreleased songs, covers and originals, at the famous Wally Haider Studios before their debut album was released in 1972 . 'Get Up Kate' was a song that Frey had occasionally sung with Linda Ronstadt's band, and The Eagles also performed it a few times in 1972. 

03 Dallas - Never on CD 

Steely Dan 6-72 Single and Plus 4’s EP 

'Dallas' is the first single by Steely Dan, sung by drummer Jim Hodder. The song was not on the band's debut album 'Can't Buy A Thrill' but was included on the 1978 Japan-only compilation 'Steely Dan'. It, and its b-side, 'Sail The Waterway', was also included on a 12-inch single version of 'Haitian Divorce' released in the UK. It was recorded by Poco in 1975 on their 'Head Over Heels' album. Personnel:

Donald Fagen – electric piano, piano, backing vocals 

Walter Becker – bass guitar 

Jeff Baxter – pedal steel guitar, guitars 

Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, lead vocals 

David Palmer – backing vocals 

Tim Moore – backing vocals 

04 Left Of Center (Live) 

Suzanne Vega 1983 EP 

'Left of Center' is a song written by Suzanne Vega and Steve Addabbo, which was released as part of the soundtrack to the 1986 film 'Pretty In Pink'. It features Joe Jackson on piano and was released as a single in May 1986, reaching No. 35 in Australia, No. 28 in Ireland, and No. 32 in the United Kingdom. 

05 Live To Tell (Demo) 

Madonna 1986 

 'Live To Tell" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album, 'True Blue' (1986), and also featured in the crime drama 'At Close Range', starring her then-husband Sean Penn. In mid-1985, after completing the Virgin Tour, Madonna began working with musician and producer Patrick Leonard, who had served as the tour's musical director. The two first collaborated on 'Love Makes The World Go Round', which Madonna performed at the Live Aid benefit concert in July. Around this time, she married actor Sean Penn, whom she had met on the set of her 'Material Girl' music video. Leonard, meanwhile, was aiming to transition into film scoring, and composed an instrumental piece intended for Paramount's 1986 film 'Fire With Fire'. However, the studio rejected the track, feeling it didn't fit the movie's tone. Madonna, intrigued by the composition, offered to write lyrics for it and proposed using the song for 'At Close Range', a crime drama starring Penn. According to author Rikky Rooksby, she wrote the lyrics "on the spot", crafting a melody and bridge inspired by the film’s themes of family secrets and emotional trauma. "Sometimes when I'm writing songs, I'm just channeling", she later said, adding that the lyrics reflected personal pain and yearning, whether autobiographical or fictional. After recording a demo, she played it for director James Foley and Penn, who responded positively. Penn called Leonard, who at the time was working with Michael Jackson on his 1987 album 'Bad', and invited him to meet. When asked who would sing the song, since the lyrics had been written from a male perspective, Leonard insisted Madonna should perform it. He chose to use the demo vocals, feeling they captured a sense of naivety and emotional rawness that suited the piece. "It was so innocent and so shy. It's as naive, as raw as can be, and that’s part of what gave 'Live To Tell' all its charm", Leonard explained. Recording sessions for 'True Blue' took place at Channel Recording Studios in Los Angeles, where the final version of 'Live to Tell' was completed. 

06 Leave It (A Capella Version)

Yes - 1983 B-Side 

'Leave It' is a song by English rock band Yes. It appears on their 1983 album, '90125', and was released as its second single, following 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'. The song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 [6] and number 3 on the Top Album Rock Tracks chart.  In the UK, the song rose to number 56 in late March 1984, in a run of five weeks on the chart.  

07 My Fair Share (The Love Them From 'One On One') (Out Of Print Soundtrack) 

Seal And Crofts - 1977 'One On One' Soundtrack 

'One On One' is the soundtrack album to the movie of the same title, starring Robby Benson. The music was written entirely by Charles Fox, with lyrics by Paul Williams, and Seals and Crofts provided the vocals. The single 'My Fair Share (Love Theme from 'One On One')' reached #11 AC and #28 Pop in autumn 1977. It was first released on CD in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records, and digitally by Rhino Records (another label of Warner Bros.) in 2008.

08 It's Probably Me (Alternate Version) 

Sting w Eric Clapton 

'It's Probably Me' is a song Sting rerecorded in 1993 for his 'Ten Summoner's Tales' album, without any of the other musicians, and it was originally released in 1992 as a collaboration by Sting featuring Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen, and David Sanborn. Released from the soundtrack to the action comedy film 'Lethal Weapon 3' in June 1992, the song reached number 20 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 12 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It was more successful in Europe, peaking at number one in Italy, number four in France, and number six in the Netherlands. 

09 People On The Streets (Early Alternative Vocal Version of Under Pressure) 

Queen and David Bowie -1981 

A unique mix of 'Under Pressure', which features a very early vocal take from Freddie Mercury, David Bowie (and Brian May!), likely when the song was under the working title 'People On The Streets'. Roger Taylor recalled in 2002: "David came in one night, and we were just playing other people’s songs for fun and David said, ‘This is stupid. Why don’t we just write one?’ It was originally called ‘People On The Streets’, and that was the basis of it, and we took the multi track tapes to New York, and I spent all day there with David and mixed it that night." Driven by Deacon’s incredible bassline, something which deserves all the praise it receives, both Bowie and Mercury battled in the vocal booth fuelled, as Blake suggests, by the two intoxicants of wine and cocaine. Blake describes the scene, beginning with the recollections of Queen’s guitarist: “‘We felt our way through a backing track all together as an ensemble,’ recalled May. ‘When the backing track was done, David said, ‘Okay, let’s each of us go in the vocal booth and sing how we think the melody should go—just off the top of our heads—and we’ll compile a vocal out of that’.” He continues: “And that’s what we did. Some of these improvisations, including Mercury’s memorable introductory scatting vocal, would endure on the finished track. Bowie also insisted that he and Mercury shouldn’t hear what the other had sung, swapping verses blind, which helped give the song its cut-and-paste feel.” 

10 Chicago 1945 (demo)  

Michael Jackson (leaked unreleased song intended for 'Victory' album 1983) 

'Chicago 1945' is an unreleased song written by American singer songwriter Michael Jackson and Steve Pocarro, who also produced it. It was intended for the 'Victory' or 'Bad' albums, and on 27 January 2023, the track leaked online. Pocarro recalls: “Years ago, Michael and I wrote a song called 'Chicago 1945' – I did the music and Michael the lyrics, he recorded the song twice, but never put it on an album… the instruments were played in a constant rhythm in the 16th note, which was called ‘yada’. When I explained this to Michael, he liked it so much he gave me that nickname!.” It was recorded in 1983 during the 'Victory' sessions, and was intended for said album. However, it wasn't in the final cut. 'Chicago 1945' was revisited again by Jackson in the Spring of 1986 during the 'Bad' sessions with new, live drums being added, and although it had a chance to make it on the album, it again didn't make the cut. 

11 Let It Rain (YouTube exclusive Video) 

The Doobie Brothers w/ Peter Frampton 2020 

The Doobie Brothers and Peter Frampton have partnered for a cover of Eric Clapton’s 1970 track, 'Let It Rain'. The song and its accompanying video were recorded virtually, with Frampton and every member of the Doobie Brothers contributing their parts remotely. 'Let It Rain' is a perfect choice for the Doobies and Frampton, who add a little extra instrumental oomph — especially when Frampton and Tom Johnston start trading guitar solos — but they otherwise remain faithful to the original’s cathartic pop-rock charms. Johnston tells Rolling Stone how the collaboration came together, saying: “A couple of months ago, Peter and I were going over various tunes after deciding to do a song or video together. I tossed out ‘Let It Rain’ by Eric Clapton and he loved the idea. He’s a phenomenal guitarist and a fan of Clapton’s, as am I, so it seemed a great idea to take to the rest of the guys. Peter, Pat, and I took verses and solos and John played some cool pedal steel and helped us put that together with Bill Payne on piano, John Cowan on bass, and Ed Toth on drums. Also Rob Arthur who did all the video work played B3. It was a team effort! We really enjoyed working together on this with Peter.” Frampton added: “It was so much fun playing with my friends the Doobie Brothers even virtually! I look forward to a time when we can, hopefully, play together in person.” The Doobie Brothers have dropped a handful of at-home performances this year after they were forced to postpone their 2020 touring plans because of Covid-19. In April, they shared a socially distanced take on 'Black Water', and a few months later they dropped a rendition of 'Listen To The Music'. In July, they got together with Traffic’s Dave Mason to help him re-record 'Feelin’ Alright'. with additional help from Sammy Hagar, Mick Fleetwood, and Michael McDonald. 

12 Carolina In My Mind (Solo Acoustic Demo)  

James Taylor - James Taylor - Original expanded album 

'Carolina In My Mind' is a song originally written and performed by the American singer-songwriter James Taylor, and it was his second single from his 1968 self titled debut album. Taylor wrote 'Carolina In My Mind' while in England recording for the Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as a single in 1969, the song earned critical praise but not commercial success. It was re-recorded for Taylor's 1976 'Greatest Hits' album in the version that is most familiar to listeners, but the original recording of the song was done at London's Trident Studios during the July to October 1968 period, and was produced by Peter Asher. The song's lyric "holy host of others standing around me" makes reference to the Beatles, who were recording 'The Beatles' in the same studio where Taylor was recording his album. Indeed, the recording of 'Carolina In My Mind' includes a credited appearance by Paul McCartney on bass guitar and an uncredited one by  George Harrison on backing vocals. 

13 Tears Dry On Their Own (unofficial remix) 

Amy Winehouse and Eric Clapton

This is a digital version which was originally released in 2007 and was part of an unofficial Russian CDr (CD-ROM) from 2012: 'Amy Winehouse & Duffy - MP3 Collection'. 

14 Oyster Bay (unreleased demo 1973) 

Billy Joel - 'My Lives' box set

Billy Joel says in the liner notes to 'My Lives' that he can understand why some people don't like his music based off the countless hits he's had. This box set in theory was created to show off the multiple facets to Joel as an artist. One purpose definitely seems to have been a cleaning out of the vaults, so to speak. 23 of the songs here have never been released previously, and there are different versions of old standards. Throw in some B-Sides, live performances, and a live DVD, and I suppose you certainly get a glimpse of the versatility of Joel. One would think though more album cuts would have made the list, instead of demos, although 'Oyster Bay' shows us one of those classic Joel character studies while taking its sound from Elton John-era Elton.

15 Get Together (''Your Navy Presents'' Version) 

The Carpenters live 1970 

Unofficial release of the 1970 US Navy Radio Broadcast Show Presented by Sam Riddle. This release has several interesting and unique performances that they recorded live in the studio. Firstly, there's 'Get Together' sung by Karen, but originally sung by Richard on their debut album 'Offering' (later re-released as 'Ticket To Ride'.) This version was also released on 'From The Top' in 1991 and on 'The Essential Collection (1965 - 1997)' in 2002. 'Love Is Surrender' sounds like an early edit with a few instruments missing that were added before being released on the 'Close To You' album. 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing & All I Can Do' are unique to this broadcast as they've never been released on any other format. The same goes for 'Cinderella Rockerfella' and 'I Fell In Love', although these were also performed in their early concerts up until 1973. 'Flat Baroque' also sounds like an earlier version that was revised and re-recorded using different instruments for the 'A Song For You' album. 

16 Purple Rain (Unedited 19-minute Movie Version)

Prince (Live In Syracuse, March 30, 1985) 

In the semi-darkness of the Carrier Dome indoor stadium in Syracuse, New York, a voice breaks through: "Hello Syracuse and the world. My name is Prince." That was Prince's address to the city and the world on the evening of 30 March 1985, before beginning his concert, which was filmed and transmitted live by satellite in the United States and several other countries. A little later, TV stations in Europe aired the show, including Antenne 2 (now France 2), on 25 May, in the program 'Les Enfants du Rock'. The venue had been decorated in Prince’s signature purple flowers, with a steady stream of dramatic smoke pouring across the stage whilst lasers shone through the mysterious built-up mist. Prince had just released the album that would cement his place in rock’s rich tapestry, 'Purple Rain', though the ensuing tour would make him one of the game’s legends. Drummer Robert Rivkin noted the preshow ritual, saying: “We’d all gather in Prince’s dressing room, in a circle, and either he would speak, or he would point to one of us, and we would speak of the night. I can remember everybody seemed to rise to the occasion and had very inspiring words against the backdrop of twenty thousand screaming people waiting for us”. “There was always that final moment of togetherness before we hit the stage,” Rivkin added. “We didn’t ever just go out there without first connecting to each other and looking in each other’s eyes and Prince checking us out and us checking him out”. As the curtain began to creep up slowly just before the show, a mysterious yet small figure stood entranced in the fog and shadow. Then, out of nowhere, the band got stuck into ‘Let’s Go Crazy‘, and the audience followed suit, some 38,000 of them. The concert had also been one of the first pay-per-view musical events. Lisa Coleman said: “Prince was our conductor. We took our cues from him. He spoke a lot with his face. You had to rely on that a lot. A lot of the time, he can’t control it, so you learned what was pleasing to him and what frustrated him. And then he did like the ugly funky face when you did something he liked. That was always a good high”. Serving as the first of two encores, 'I Would Die 4 U' and 'Baby I'm A Star' were drawn out into an extended jam session. Sheila E. and her band, Apollonia 6 and Eric Leeds were also in this section of the show. The last encore was 'Purple Rain', which Prince played this over 18 minutes, which included a longer intro, with Wendy encouraging the audience to sing the song's post-chorus "ohh ohh" vocals, and lengthy guitar solos on two of Prince's guitars (both seen in the movie and in videos), including the white Cloud guitar.