MELOMANIA proud to be your docent for RSD DROP 2

with 17 releases (1/5 of the total entertainment available) for your perusal

LINDA MARTELL - Color Me Country [ORANGE LP](ORG)

This is the story of the first African-American woman to sing on the Grand Ole Opry. Following the steps of Charley Pride, Martell landed two songs in the Country Top 40 in 1969. Listen to how well she transcends the dulcet voice of Country and turns a blue yodel into a soulful whoop on “Bad Case Of The Blues.” Working with Shelby Singleton. Jr. (SSS Records, one of the starting places for Soul Blues with Johnny Adams and countless others,) Martell’s voice keeps her far above the formatted Country production. Martell holds back her wail beautifully on “I Almost Called Your Name,” while her hit (originally done by The Winstons - featuring one of the most-used drum breaks of all time) “Color Him Father” is both poignant and so honest that Martell’s delivery makes you think she wrote it. In addition, her phrasing and the expert method she uses to hold back/hold on to her words has been a clear influence on Americana singers/songwriters today like Charley Crockett. “Color Me Country” is the perfect RSD piece. It is enlightening about a singer and a period that does not receive enough attention. Most importantly, it is bringing this powerful voice back to the place it belongs. “Color Me Country” clearly was a tough sell for the Country market in 1969. Here is hoping this is the first step in learning more about Thelma Louise Bynem and how she became Linda Martell.

RATIONALS [PURPLE LP](Prudential)

Detroit/Ann Arbor music gave the muscle to Rock N'Roll in the Sixties. The MC5, Bob Seger System, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, and countless others emerged from that industrial capital. One of the other A-Squared label acts that were heavily favored for success was The Rationals. With Scott Morgan upfront (later in Sonic's Rendezvous Band with MC5 legend Fred "Sonic" Smith,) The Rationals were a huge local singles band with their mixture of hardcore jams (a la the Five) and sweet R&B-tinged Rock.  Having released national singles on both Cameo and Capitol, they finally got around to releasing their first album in 1970 on Bob Crewe (he supervised the second half of Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels run.) As displayed on the cover of "Handbags and Gladrags" (later the theme to the BBC series "The Office," Crewe clearly wanted The Rationals to be another Vanilla Fudge. SHaving turned down the lead vocalist slot in Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Morgan led the band into Psychedelic Rock of its time (the awesome "Sunset") and several moodier, quiet numbers ("Deep Red") atypical of The Rationals. In true style, this hidden gem also features a burning cover of "Something's Got A Hold on Me." This is Detroit rock as it is breaking down. Not as essential as their singles, but a great indication of where they could have gone.  

THE WHO - It's Hard DLX [ORANGE/YELLOW 2LP](Polydor)

For a band that once cried "I hope I die before I get old," The Who continues to prove their longevity. After regrouping with Kenney Jones in place of the late Keith Moon on 1981's "Face Dances," and Pete Townshend's solo success on the stellar "Empty Glass," it is easy to classify this album as underwritten. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, this is The Who moving to their "legacy" period with three good contributions from Entwistle and several songs from Townshend that while sounding very 1982 AOR still manage to capture his arrival at adulthood. "Athena" is a light frothy start, while "Dangerous" is a little overwrought with synths, but the tough reductive honesty of "Eminence Front" remains one of The Who's classic late-period singles. In addition, the extended coda in the middle of "I've Known No War" is another great moment as the mighty Who proves they are truly learning to do more with less. This limited Deluxe pressing is even more enticing as it adds a never-before-heard version of the single with Roger Daltrey on vocals as well as other unreleased cuts.

WAILING SOULS - Fire House Rock [LP+12”](VP)

Various Artists - GREENSLEEVES GANJA ANTHEMS [GREEN LP](VP)

Reggae's Wailing Souls took the long path to find their own sound and success. Together since 1968, the original band was one of the many with singles originating from Studio One. However, their album debut in 1979 "Wild Suspense" showed an increasing propensity toward the modern Joe Gibbs "Stepping Razor" style Reggae. By the time they started working on their 1980 follow-up "Fire House Rock," their sound was solidly Dancehall. Their Sixties-style harmonies flood the background on the soulful "A Fool Will Fall" which would be a Doo-Wop song were it not for the giant beats, dubby bass lines, and infectious percussion. Even when they take their vocals out of the mix, producers Henry "Junjo Lawes and Scientist have created continuous grooves that allow the most subtle instruments to dart in and out. The title cut and the effective "Act of Affection" are a part of the fantastic rising action of their track ordering, while the three closing cuts ("Bandits Taking Over," "Who Lives It" and "See Baba Joe") bring "Fire House Rock" down perfectly. This RSD version added a special bonus 12" inch of alternate mixes.

The label Greensleeves also was instrumental in the development of Dancehall out of Reggae thanks to a passel of singles (including Wailing Souls) from 1977 onward. "Greensleeves Ganja Anthems" celebrates the obvious with a helping of 10 tightly-rolled jams on green wax. There are classics ("Pass The Kutchie," "Ganja Smuggling," and "Police in Helicopter") Barrington Levy's slow-rolling "Under Mi Sensa" and his high-pitch "whooooooa" (which samples Wayne Smith's organ bubbler "Under Mi Sleng Teng" - also here) rightly deserves its own sample.

SWEET - Platinum Rare 2 [SILVER 2LP](Prudential)

The Sweet was one of those Seventies bands who produced hit after hit yet rarely received the respect they deserved. The radio hooks of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn paved the way for their heaven-and-hell brattiness and teenage melodrama. While their Glam Rock can sound dated, the Power Pop aspects of tracks like "Action" and the swaggering "Solid Gold Brass" live on. In addition, this special RSD2 pressing adds on Andy Scott's demos of many songs including their best-known hit "Fox On The Run."

BOBBY HAMILTON QUINTET UNLIMITED - Dream Queen [LP](Now-Again/Traffic)

Keyboardist Bobby Hamilton entered the Seventies with a swingin' Spiritual Jazz album that is part Funk ("Pearl (Among The Swine,)") Lounge ("Priscilla,)" and even distinctly Latin (the percussion breakdown on the Miles-ian "In The Mouth of The Beast.") As 500 copies were originally pressed, "Dream Queen" has taken a long journey to become one of those private press Jazz records that DJs know will take their set to the next level. Now-Again has cleaned it up and remastered it so it still sounds as good as it did during those days of denim and polyester.

ESTHER MARROW - Sister Woman [LP](Craft Recordings)

Queen Esther Marrow sang with Duke Ellington and served in the esteemed Harlem Gospel Singers. "Sister Woman" is a Seventies Soul that only hints at her true power. Backed by an amazing band that includes Bernard Purdie, Cornell Dupree, Richard Tee, Chuck Rainey, and more, Marrow raises the roof so perfectly on "Trade Winds" (later done by Rod Stewart) and shows her timely Soul ("Ghetto") and timeless control (Laura Nyro's showstopper "And When I Die closes it.) After this album, she would go on to perform on TV ("Sesame Street") and Broadway ("The Wiz") before finally recording again in 1994.

SAM FENDER - "Alright/The Kitchen (live") [7"](Polydor UK)

Less like the Springsteen-ian leanings of his stellar debut "Seventeen Going Under," these two horn-laden tracks show his writing making progress. "Alright" is a mix of desperation and jangle with a thrilling build-up, while "The Kitchen" is a brash basher.

FIELD MUSIC - Plumb [PLUM LP](Memphis Ind/Redeye)

On one of the great Prog/Pop albums of the last decade, these sons of Sunderland, David, and Peter Brewis mix up their brotherly harmonies with myriad hooks, changes, and catchy lyrical turns that call back to 70's Pop and 80's Power Pop ("I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing.")

STEVE HACKETT - Tokyo Tapes [3LP](Esoteric/Cherry Red UK)

With the help of Genesis' Chester Thompson, King Crimson's Ian McDonald, and vocalist John Wetton (Roxy Music, Asia, King Crimson, Family,) Prog guitar great pulls out all the stops mixing his own critically acclaimed post-Genesis creations with classics like "Watcher of the Skies," "I Talk To The Wind," and "The Court of The Crimson King."

THE ALBUM LEAF - A Lifetime or More [2LP](Eastern Glow/Nettwerk)

In his post-Tristeza project, Jimmy LaValle explored a lot of more intimate textures in SynthPop flavored Post-Rock. While most of the music (assembling early EPs and more into one cohesive release) still has that familiar keyboard/drum loop pull ("Project Loop,") these long out-of-print EPs are also far more ambient and meditative.    

TANGERINE DREAM - Alpha Centauri [CLEAR LP](Esoteric/Cherry Red UK)

TANGERINE DREAM - Live in Reims Cinema Opera 9.23.75 [ORANGE 2LP](LMLR]

On the second and third archival releases from the German legends in the RSD passel this year, "Alpha Centauri" replicates a lost 1971 session where they switched from the synth-led experimentation on "Electronic Meditation" to a more Pink Floyd-ian Space Rock. This special release also adds a bonus 12-inch EP with bonus mixes. The integral introduction of the organ on "Alpha Centauri" led to Tangerine Dream's first seminal moment. With the use of sequencers and down to just Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann, and Chris Franke, Tangerine Dream was signed to Virgin (at John Peel's urging after 1973's "Atem" made his list of Albums of The Year) and their albums began charting (1974's "Phaedra" hit #15 and sold over 100,000 copies in the UK.) Their newfound success opened a world of concert appearances in non-concert venues. Their second performance at Reims, in a grand opera house, uses the spaciousness of the palatial building to give natural reverb and warmth to their electronics. Over the course of four sides, they create soundscapes with familiar and otherworldly sounds while providing the first known versions of tracks that will be recorded for "Ricochet" just one month later.

VIRGIN PRUNES - Pagan Lovesong [CLEAR 12"](BMG)

At their most avant-garde, Dublin's Virgin Prunes was another scream in the darkness dragging Punk to Post-Punk. By 1982, their brand of shocking songs with forceful percussion, menacing bass, and yowling vocals was the style. "Pagan Lovesong" is their hooky single that draws together the worlds of The Birthday Party and The Velvet Underground found on their 2EP collection "Heresie" - a tribute to insanity.

OTTO KENTROL (FEATURING FACELESS) - No Mistakes [2LP](Modern Harmonic/Redeye)

As Otto Kentrol, Bill Ylitalo was free to experiment with the early 80's spike of No Wave as it drifts into Captain Beefheart (Faceless' "Flyline) and The Pop Group (the deep Dub of "The Man With The Flashlight.") As Faceless becomes Otto Kentrol, songs like "Our Secret" with its mixture of sincerity and anger have in place the rubbery bass and haunting sounds (Ylitalo's sax for instance) that make it possible to visualize the two most single-worthy songs "Fake" and "Ghost Boy" as a suitable midpoint for the identity shift. Still as minimal as Yiltalo is capable of being, his melodies are always winding around his oft-kilter grooves. Also note, these sessions feature Arto Lindsay and Steve Tibbetts in the melange of wild NYC-style edgy Rock.

RESIDENTS - Warning: Uninc. Live And Experimental Recordings 1971-1972 [2LP](pREserved/MVD/Cherry Red)

Rock N'Roll's most dangerous practitioners of guttural howling and general chaos revisit their most primal period in the beginning with highlights of two 1972 shows (the second may be at Snakefinger's wedding) and the entire "1-10 (With A Touch of 11)" album. While its musicality may be lost, the energy and weird spirits the Louisiana natives summon are highly interesting. Chants, squeaking saxophones, and pounding drums veer between The Fugs and Avant-Garde noise. Still active and unclassifiable to this day (tributes to both James Brown and John Philip Sousa under their belts,) these early Residents shows remain a startling example of just how free artists could be during Rock's flaming youth.

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