Pete Ham, the lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the band Badfinger, was one of the great emerging stars of the early 1970s. One of the first power pop bands, the Beatle’s shadow loomed large over the group, and despite his tragic story, his musical skill was undeniable. Rather than me go into history on the band – get Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger by the late great Dan Matovina. That tells the tale.
All of Badfinger’s hits are here “No Matter What,” “Day After Day,” “Baby Blue,” and many more. The project, which includes 35 new recordings of songs Ham wrote or co-wrote, will benefit Mental Health America of Southeast Florida. The project’s goal is boosted by the wide range of musicians who pay homage to Ham classics and deep cuts on the two-disc set.
I enjoyed many of the covers, including Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites) as part of The Chefs on a fun, infectious “I Can’t Take It.” I also liked The Smokin Novas faithful take on “Shine On” and the reverent approach by Shelby Lynne on “Day After Day.” Other standouts include “Mary Lou Lord’s “Baby Blue,” Rob Bonfiglio’s “Lonely You,” and the spirited country version of “Lay Me Down” by Diane Ward. Like all big compilations, there are tracks I didn’t like – but don’t let them sway you. Badfinger fans will enjoy this for sure. Highly Recommended.
Long Island musician Vance Brescia formed a Beatles-influenced punk-pop band in the early ’80s, very much in parallel to Tommy Marolda (The Toms) from New Jersey or Paul Collins’s band The Beat from Los Angeles. The Mosquitos were also ahead of their time, as the sound was a mix of Merseybeat, punk, and new wave. They were poised for 80s stardom. The title track from the band’s EP “That Was Then, This Is Now” was chosen by Arista Records’ Clive Davis for The Monkees to record as their comeback single in 1986 following a couple of nominations at the New York Music Awards. The Monkees version entered the Top 20 that summer. Shortly thereafter, the band split up.
The band never really had a major album release, so this massive project was expanded to a 47-song double CD by Kool Kat Musik. This allowed for the publication of nearly all of their original songs, demos, and covers. Highlights include “I Know A Secret,” “I’m So Ashamed,” “Put Your Foot Down,” and others. More than enough to make this highly recommended.
The Midnight Callers are back, and after a fantastic debut, their sound overall honors the classic ’70s influences (The Raspberries, and early Cheap Trick) with a touch of Glam (Sweet, T-Rex) here, so there is no “sophomore slump.” Lots of short crunchy guitar gems, the production and musicianship here are near perfect. Opening with “New York Tramp” it buzzes through the verses and the lead even sounds a little like Robin Zander in the chorus. “Step!” and “Closer” picks up the tempo, and are great catchy tunes that really stick. The Callers have an innate sense of rock, and “Girl On The Run” from its jangling melody to the harmonies is very much like a lost Tom Petty hit. In the dramatic “Without Ya” those harmonies come to the foreground at the start and then the song morphs into a brilliant rocker, it’s my favorite tune here. Other highlights include “Little Runaround” and the love ballad “Maggie.” No filler here, but a few tunes are missing the hooks they need. However the batting average is very high for this album, so don’t miss it. Highly Recommended for sure.
Seattle-based drummer Mason Lowe (Bread & Butter) opted to record an album in his basement to burn off the stress of work during a global pandemic. It boasts a nice fuzzy bedroom pop opener “Plastered” with a catchy chorus/verse combo, and it gets better from there. “Whiplash” is a bright swaggering grunge-pop tune that follows the same template.
The songs take influences from the past (The Creation, The Jam, The Sorrows) and re-configure them into original rockers, the one critique is the tempo and approach for each song don’t vary much, and it causes most songs to blend into each other. But some of the melodies stick nicely like “Stoned and Cold” and “You Took A Chance On Me”
Other tunes like “What Took You So Long” and “You’ve Got The Touch” develops nice vibes, but it could’ve used a tempo change at some point. Despite all this Lowe has lots of potential here, so check this album out.
The follow-up to last year’s highly rated Julee, Dave Cope and the Sass have mastered the sound of the British Invasion, and other genres (and eras) while creatively delivering original gems. The album begins with “A Good Idea At The Time,” a sweet example of 1970s vintage rock a la The Guess Who.
“She Don’t Care About That” and “More” have a terrific glammy pop vibe, and Mod-era Who/Small Faces are mined with the excellent “In Circles.” He doesn’t always hit the target, as “Butterfly Heart” didn’t really hook me, and “Start” felt like a poor man’s Stephen Sondheim musical. But it’s okay that Dave goes outside his comfort zones, and occasionally the shift in style works out, like on the smooth easy listening pop of “Season of Love.” That said, Cope has just enough goodies on tap to make this album Highly Recommended.
Ronnie D’Addario (Papa Twig) is back and continues to charm like last year’s Egg Yolks And Artichokes. Similar in style to Paul McCartney or Gilbert O’Sullivan, Ronnie does light rock and music hall pop throughout All Gathered In One Room. “A Shot in The Dark” is a bouncy haiku set to a catchy melody and while the scenarios spun in his tunes can get excessively sentimental, D’Addario skillfully pulls it off.
Taking a different twist, the title track “All Gathered In One Room” is a Gilbert & Sullivan-styled opera number. His Beatles-lite “Come One, Come All” and “The Journey” are meticulously produced, but merely okay. Ronnie’s creative composition really comes out on the dance hall ballad of “Belle of the Ball” and the creative process turned into a baroque waltz on “Dwight Makes Right.” The Lemon Twigs contribute instrumentally, but this is a “Papa Twig” production all the way through. Check it out.