Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band "Live 1975-85" (1986)

This box contains 5 LPs, and me and my brother bought it together for our mom at Christmas, the year of the release. It was a serious and expensive Christmas gift, I was only 14 years old, my brother five years older, and neither of us had a lot of money. But we knew our mom liked Springsteen, so together we managed to cough up enough money. It felt good to be able to give something so colossal as a gift. I had just passed the age when the presents one gave were 10-minute drawings, or "beautiful" handicraft done in schools's art class.

The box contains more than 3.5 hours of music, and although our mom liked Springsteen, I realize now that the passion might not have been so strong that she would listen for 3.5 hours of him very often (she only had Born In The USA, so she was no fanatic). But this means that the albums today are in top condition, NM (Near Mint), as it's usually called in vinyl circles, as they probably only have been played a few times. Like some other albums in the collection, this was saved when my parents were to get rid of their entire collection. I couldn't let such an item be lost.

For a Springsteen fan this box is a must in the record collection, I suppose. Many fans had long been waiting for a live album from the Boss, and when it finally came, it delivered, both in quality and quantity. There are songs from all of his career, up to 1986 of course, the sound quality is great, and there's a clear live feel. Three songs were previously unreleased - Seeds, Because Of The Night and Fire. It beat the record of pre-orders in terms of worth of dollars, and it went straight to Billboard's number one.

Personally, I'm not a big Springsteen fan, although many songs are qualitative, and his lyrics are often well written, his straight rock n'roll - bar rock, as it's often called - is not my thing. Lots of guitar, saxophone and powerful singing, it's often loud and uptempo. However, I like his calmer and darker side that sometimes appears, such as songs from the Nebraska album, or I'm On Fire, another old favorite just like The River. In songs like these, the sadness, melancholy or nostalgia that is found in the lyrics, really moves me. Sometimes I'm almost brought to tears when I read the words as I recognize the feelings.

As it often was at this time, there is a pamphlet in the box informing the buyer of other records that one could also purchase. I think these were adapted a little bit to the album, to maximize the outcome (a rock n'roll album's accompanying sheet should primarily display other rock n'roll albums). The pamphlet in this box featured names like Steve Tibbetts, Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Pat Metheny and other similar artists. Almost as far from the Boss you as you can come. A little odd.

In summary, a good overview of Springsteen's career, up to 1986, and although I'm not really in the target group, I'm still glad I've got it. First of all, it's fun to have a box of five LPs, but also for the calmer parts on the albums that I think are beautiful.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Thunder Road 5:41
2 Adam Raised A Cain 5:25
3 Spirit In The Night 6:22
4 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) 6:29

Side B
1 Paradise By The "C" 3:34
2 Fire 3:12
3 Growin' Up 7:57
4 It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City 4:37

Side C
1 Backstreet 7:27
2 Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) 9:59
3 Raise Your Hand 5:10

Side D
1 Hungry Heart 4:28
2 Two Hearts 3:05
3 Cadillac Ranch 4:50
4 You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) 3:51
5 Independence Day 5:09

Side E
1 Badlands 5:15
2 Because The Night 5:18
3 Candy's Room 3:09
4 Darkness On The Edge Of Town 4:28
5 Racing In The Street 8:13

Side F
1 This Land Is Your Land 4:17
2 Nebraska 4:16
3 Johnny 99 4:21
4 Reason To Believe 5:15

Side G
1 Born In The U.S.A. 6:07
2 Seeds 5:13
3 The River 11:37

Side H
1 War 4:51
2 Darlington County 5:12
3 Working On The Highway 3:59
4 The Promised Land 5:32

Side I
1 Cover Me 6:58
2 I'm On Fire 4:23
3 Bobby Jean 4:27
4 My Hometown 5:08

Side J
1 Born To Run 5:02
2 No Surrender 4:42
3 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 4:18
4 Jersey Girl 6:31

Tangerine Dream - "Stratosfear" (1976)

I can't say I have many German albums in the collection, and I can't say I know a lot of German artists or bands. Kraftwerk, Nina Hagen, Nena, Scorpions, Rammstein and a few bands from the Krautrock scene. And Tangerine Dream. Germany is a big country, but the number of famous artists doesn't correlate with the population size. I suppose a language barrier is to blame.

Like Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream uses mostly synthesizers of different kinds, but there the similarities end, musically in any case. Kraftwerk is colder, harder, more precise in their arrangements, almost robot like, while the creations of Tangerine Dreams radiate warmth, softness and humanity. Although Tangerine Dream sometimes creates dark and gloomy soundscapes, there is still a pleasant feeling surrounding it. Another difference is that Kraftwerk more made verse-verse-chorus songs, often with singing, at times with a pop ingredient as a number of mainstream hits show, while Tangerine Dream's creations more lean towards sound sculptures without the same clear structure, always instrumental. Tangerine Dream's music is simply much more druggier, and it's not surprising that it was a popular band among the hippies who visited Goa in the 70's. How many acid trips have had this album as a soundtrack, I wonder. At least for 35 minutes.

Stratosfear was the eighth album by the band. It was first mixed by Nick Mason from Pink Floyd, but this mix was abandoned because of arguments between Tangerine Dream and Virgin. It's a good album, a musical journey in the inner regions of consciousness. It was the last album where the classic setting Edgar Froese, Peter Baumann and Christopher Franke collaborated. The sound is typically electronic 70's, positively meant, often quite dark, some parts could be soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange. But as mentioned, there's always a warmth there, it's as if the music sweeps the listener into a dark, warm, mental blanket. What was new with Stratosfear was that some analog instruments sneaked in here and there, guitars are heard, some kind of flute, a grand piano. They often stay in the background, the synthesizer still dominates, but they contribute to the mood. The entire album actually ends with a few minutes of piano chords with a flute soaring above it.

Four songs of different lengths, they are quite varied, although it may be one synthesizer loop as a base that hypnotizes. But on top of this different things are going on, so it never feels boring. Probably not a record for everyone, but I like it.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Stratosfear 10:04
2 The Big Sleep In Search Of Hades 4:45

Side B
1 3AM At The Border Of The Marsh From Okefenokee 8:10
2 Invisible Limits 11:40

Made In Sweden - "Where Do We Begin" (1976)

I wanted to give Georg Wadenius another chance, so let's take a look at his band Made In Sweden's last record. In the late 60's and early 70's, the band recorded a number of albums, then Wadenius left for the US and played with Blood, Sweat And Tears. When he returned to Sweden, he recreated Made In Sweden, where only himself was left of the original members (I think). In other words, a totally new band. The other members were Tommy Körberg, Pekka Pohjola, Vesa Aaltonen, and Wlodek Gulgowski. Sweden, Finland and Poland represented. Most fun for me is to find Tommy Körberg here, I've only known the older version of him and the kind of music he's done at this period of his life (very different kind of music), and I have no relation whatsoever to the younger version of him. To a non-Swede, this guy is probably a totally unknown.

I found this album in Sweden, I didn't know much about Made In Sweden, but had understood that many think they have a given place in Sweden's progressive music history. Since I was just about to move to Montreal, I thought the album might be harder to find here and therefore ask a somewhat higher price. Perhaps something of a rarity. I could sell it, or change it to two other albums. It was an idea that didn't really match reality.

Even though I find the record a bit more fun than Wadenius' solo album Cleo, I can't say it's particularly interesting. It's usually defined as progressive, but compared to bands like King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis and other authorities in the genre, it's not a lot of prog. Rather easy-going jazz fusion. Both songs with singing and instrumentals are found, and the musicians most likely belong to the elite, but it rarely takes off. I like the instrumentals best, Körberg's singing kind of turns me off. A song like Manhattan Vibes is probably a totally OK song within its genre, but since me and jazz fusion have never been tight, it's still nothing for me. The closing song, 43 Sec. Of Arc Per Century, I feel is the most "difficult" song, but at the same time the most interesting. I haven't heard any of Made In Sweden's earlier records, maybe they would suit me better.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Where Do We Begin 4:27
2 Manhattan Vibes 7:05
3 Pop-Poem 3:38
4 Our Man 5:02

Side B
1 We Must Be Crucified 4:02
2 Lady G 4:13
3 Sometimes 1:49
4 43 Sec. Or Arc Per Century 10:02

Georg Wadenius - "Cleo" (1987)

Georg "Jojje" Wadenius is one of Sweden's most successful musicians internationally. He's primarily a guitar player, but also plays a number of other instruments as well as writing and producing music. He was among other things member of Made In Sweden a number of years, later a member of Blood, Sweat and Tears 1972-1975. Between 1979-1985 he was a member of the Saturday Night Live house band, and during these years he was also used a lot as a studio musician in New York. In addition to this he has recorded a lot of his own albums and participated on others, and diligently toured. He has a crazy long cv. For people of my generation, he's probably most famous for the music of the children's TV-shows Kalles Klätterträd (Kalle's Climbing Tree) and Farbrorn som inte vill va stor (The man who doesn't want to be a grownup), especially the opening song of the former is a classic everyone in Sweden in my generation can sing along to. As I understand, he lives in Oslo (Norway) today and continues with his music rather intensely.

Side A of Cleo was recorded 1987 in Sweden with Swedish musicians, while side B was recorded in New York in 1984 with American musicians. Wadenius has written all the music. I haven't been able to find facts concerning the background of the album, whether this layout was planned from the beginning or if the record company simply took a number of leftovers and created a record. Personally, I found the album in any online store where it was sold out cheaply, and I had such a respect for the name of Wadenius that I thought it was worth a chance.

However, the album is nothing for me. The music can be described as lightweight fusion - instrumental songs, with airy arrangements where the guitar is mostly in focus. But the music tends to almost cross the street into the elevator music genre. It's a gentle, soft sound, and the songs just slip off me like baby oil. Nothing takes hold of me. The fact that it was recorded in the 80's is unfortunately heard, since the decade puts a clear mark on the music, especially the typical synthesizers, and in some song electronic drums. I have never liked the 80's production.

I'm sure the musicians on the album are among the best to be found, but that doesn't help. Perhaps it may work as background music at home, when I want to have some kind of easily digested music that doesn't require any emotional commitment. If you like a semi-jazzy fusion of the soft and nice kind, it might be something for you. Personally, I'd rather listen to the music Wadenius wrote for the kids TV-shows.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Cleo 4:57
2 Caribbean Stride 6:11
3 Atlantis 4:20
4 A Gilly Soose 3:45

Side B
1 Gravity Boots 7:48
2 The Lady Laughs 5:25
3 Delusions Of Adequacy 3:47

United Sons of America - "Greetings From The U.S. of A." (1970)

The story has been told before, an album found for a cheap price in a second-hand store, a cover that looks pretty cool, the recording year was 1970. And of course, the cliché on the back that This album was made to be played loud. Well, it was worth a shot.

United Sons of America recorded only this album, which, at least here in Montreal, you regularly find in the second-hand stores. It usually costs around 2-3 dollars. The members were Gerry Blake, Jerry Ritchey, Steve Woods, Mike Hulstis and Richard Freeman. Their possibly continued musical careers are hidden in the dark, as well as more information about the band, despite the infinite resources of the internet. A bit of a mystery.

It's an alright album, nothing out of the ordinary, but no worse than anything else put on a vinyl. Blues based rock, with some splashes of psychedelia, funk and maybe soul. At times I get some Steppenwolf vibes, although United Sons of America is more gentle. Half of the songs are covers, while the band is responsible for one half, Blake is the main songwriter. He has among other things written the record's opening song, Tomorrow Is Today, which is one of the album's better songs, at least the first half of it (the second half is kind of boring). Then there are a lot of blues rock songs, sung with a raspy voice, which is not really my thing. None of these songs are in any way above others in the same genre. Somewhere, a cheesy ballad is thrown in with strings, which is also not a favorite, even though the flute partially rescues the song.

But towards the end it becomes more interesting, and the two final numbers. Children Of Mist is a beautiful ballad, or at least a calmer song, which is really groovy. Church organ and saxophone in the same song can't go wrong. The final Friends is also fun, written by the entire band and clocks in at almost nine minutes, which takes the listener towards the progressive landscape that was under construction these years. A song that winds a little here and there, where the instrumental parts are the best.

Overall not a must in the collection, but nothing to be ashamed of.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Tomorrow Is Today 5:20
2 Tumble On You / Waitin' On You 5:00
3 We've Only Just Begun 2:15
4 Cultivation 5:24

Side B
1 Forget It, I Got It 2:20
2 Dear World 2:26
3 Children Of Mist 4:08
4 Friends 8:40

Traffic - "John Barleycorn Must Die" (1970)

When the album was recorded, Traffic had been disbanded for two years, and initially this would be Steve Winwood's first solo record. But during the first stage of the recording, he felt that he wanted some help from other musicians and invited his two old bandmates Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi, and suddenly Traffic was in existence again and the album became a joint commitment.

I found the album in a local secondhand store for 2-3 dollars, which felt like a bargain. It's a groovy album. Pretty good tempo in the songs, some sort of rock-jazz fusion, some add progressive as well, and I do get some Genesis vibes at times. The guys spread out a bit more than on previous records, and most songs clock in at 6-7 minutes, the total playing time is no more than 35 minutes, though. One of the best tracks of the album is the opening song Glad, which is also the only instrumental on the record. A song that makes you quite glad. I have no major issues with the length of the songs, it's such a good tempo that they rarely get boring. And the band avoids long jams without clear structure or goals, that sometimes is the case in long songs with talented musicians who play fusion rock.

The title track is the one that stands out a bit, as Traffic here enters the folk landscape. The song John Barleycorn Must Die is an old English traditional song, the tempo is calmer, and the soundscape more scaled down. Acoustic guitar and flute complement the singing. A beautiful song, which of course gives some Fairport Convention vibes. But nothing wrong with that. And as a new, striving flutist, I have to like all the songs that give the flute a prominent role. It should be more like that in modern music, a tip for all producers. Just listen to the song Freedom Rider, a song I could have found a bit boring, if it wasn't for that crazy flute, lifting the whole song a number of levels.

Steve Winwood, who is the main creator of the music, was only 22 years old when it was recorded. Then he had already played with Spence Davis Group, Blind Faith and Ginger Baker's Air Force in addition to Traffic. Impressive resume and impressive to create an album like today's in that age. The only song I'm not really friends with is the closing number Every Mother's Son, which I think is a bit boring. But overall a groovy, uptempo album with qualitative songs. A good album to listen to when you clean the house, as it creates joy to balance the boredom of cleaning.

Traffic continued to exist as a band until 1974, and had a short comeback in 1994.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Happy 6:59
2. Freedom Rider 6:20
3. Empty Pages 4:47

Side B
1. Stranger to Himself 4:02
2. John Barleycorn (Must Die) 6:20
3. Every Mother's Son 7:05

David Gilmour (1978)

This was Gilmour's first solo album, and released the same year as Pink Floyd's Animals. Gilmour's album is much more relaxed and less bitter, probably somewhat easier for the public to like spontaneously. Not to say that it's a better album, though.

Of course there's a lot of guitar on the record, and some long jams with the guitar in the limelight. Sometimes maybe a bit too long. No less than three of the songs are instrumental. I'll admit that I was initially pleasantly surprised by the album. In general, I've always liked Roger Waters solo albums better, and always thought his music is a bit more challenging and interesting. Gilmour has a tendency, I think, to stay more in the standard blues rock area, and has had more anonymous songs, which dissolve into some sort of nothing. So I had no real expectations on the album. But when I listened to it, it was better than I thought.

On the album you'll find a few calmer songs, some rocky blues songs, vocals and instrumentals, so the record is relatively varied. Some echoes from Pink Floyd are heard, and I think some chord progressions are actually heard on The Wall, released the following year. Gilmour's singing follows his typical characteristics, beautiful harmonies, dreamy, floating and airy. But after listening to the album a while, I note that what often happens when I listen to David Gilmour, happens here too. The songs are pleasant and nice to listen to in the moment, but when a song is finished, it's as if I don't really know what I've been listening to. It is as if the music doesn't leave any imprint. And when the album is over, there is no lasting memory. The music passes right through me.

Overall, a slightly better album than I thought, but Gilmour's music has always had a softer approach towards the listener, and been more streamlined than Waters', and sometimes it may be a little too streamlined, and not enough wickedness.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Mihalis 5:47
2 There's No Way Out Of Here 5:10
3 Cry From The Street 5:13
4 So Far Away 5:50

Side B
1 Short And Sweet 5:27
2 Raise My Rent 5:31
3 No Way 5:29
4 It's Definitely 4:26
5 I Can not Breathe Anymore 3:08

Dan Fogelberg - "The Innocent Age" (1981)

One of many albums in the collection I've found in a used record store or thrift shop, which had an interesting aura, the reviews on the web seem generally positive, so I've bought it. Of course, the price of most of these records is usually 2-3 dollars, so it's always worth a try. In this case, the risk didn't pay off, it's not an album in my taste.

Dan Fogelberg, hearing the name you might think he's Swedish, and the fact is that his father had a Swedish background  (his mother Scottish). He was an American, died in 2007 only 56 years old, in cancer. The Innocent Age, a double album, was his seventh studio album, and one of his most successful, it generated a number of hits in the US. The music is usually defined as soft rock and I would like to add country rock. It often sounds Eagles, lots of harmonies in the singing, and same kind of sound and songs. Emmylou Harris guest sings on one song, on another Joni Mitchell is in the background, Al Perkins often shows up on steel guitar, as well as a lot of other musicians on different instruments. In addition, the album has a cohesive theme in the form of life's different stages, from birth to death. Could be interesting, but no. Had I not read on Allmusic that the record had a theme, I probably wouldn't have understood it. Doesn't seem so clear in the texts.

Often, you'll find at least one song on records like these you fall for, which makes the purchase feel justified. Unfortunately, I don't do that on The Innocent Age, and it's simply because soft rock / country rock is not my thing. It sounds too cheezy and boring in my ears. If you like Eagles, or other bands dedicated to such music, surely this is a good album. It has an airy and clear sound. The songs, in their context, are of high quality. A double album, so you get many minutes of music. But nothing for me.


Tracklist

Side A
1. "Nexus" - 6:04
2. "The Innocent Age" - 4:15
3. "The Sand and the Foam" - 4:19
4. "In the Passage" - 6:28

Side B
1. "Lost in the Sun" - 3:53
2. "Run for the Roses" - 4:18
3. "Leader of the Band" - 4:48
4. "Same Old Long Syne" - 5:21

Side C
1. "Stolen Moments" - 3:12
2. "The Lion's Share" - 5:10
3. "Only the Heart May Know" - 4:09
4. "The Reach" - 6:30

Side D
1. "Aireshire Lament" - 0:52
2. "Times Like These" - 3:02
3. "Hard to Say" - 4:00
4. "Empty Cages" - 6:24
5. "Ghosts" - 7:16

Dyani Temiz Feza - "Music For Xaba" (1973)

This is a somewhat odd bird in the collection. I don't have many jazz albums, and even fewer with free jazz, avant-garde jazz, fusion or whatever you want to call this. It's not music that's easily accessible initially. I got the album as a birthday gift from one of my wife's relatives, I thank her for the opportunity to broaden my horizons.

Johnny Dyani and Mongezi Feza come from South Africa but left the country in 1964, Okay Temiz comes from Turkey. They played all around the world with different artists in the 1960s, where the trumpeter Don Cherry (father of Eagle-Eye Cherry and stepfather of Neneh Cherry and Tityo) was a common denominator, as Temiz and Feza were members of The Don Cherry Trio for a number of years. In 1972, the three musicians formed the group Music For Xaba, they rehearsed for a few days and went out on a short tour in Sweden. They had gigs in Uppsala, Örebro and Stockholm. The record is a live recording from one of the concerts in Stockholm, at Teater 9, the 2nd of November 1972.

Dyani plays bass, piano and sings, while Temiz is the drummer and Feza plays trumpet and percussion. Different musical traditions meet in some kind of melting pot within the genre of jazz. There are four songs on the album. The opening song Idyongwana revolves around a drum rhythm in which song in form of  Za la ba la ba is heard on a regular basis. More and more rhythms are added during the course of the song. Here and there Feza plays on a conch, an instrument made of a large sea shell. An unexpected opening of the album. The second track Feelings is more pure free jazz / avant-garde jazz. The trumpet is played at a furious speed accompanied by drums and bass. Sometimes I can't figure out how they relate to each other, but I'm a rather inexperienced jazz listener. It feels like a song that demands a lot of the listener.

Side B opens with the slightly more accessible Traditional South African Songs, which one can say is a medley of different South African songs, with a clear jazz spice. Probably the record's most easily accessible song, which doesn't mean it's top of the pops. The last song Görans Söder brings the listener back to the land of free jazz.

An album that challenges, but also extends the width of the collection. Probably not for everyone, but if you like the free jazz and its creative explosions, it may be something worth checking out. An interesting mix of different musical traditions that meet in the land of jazz. Xaba means God, which Dyani explains in the text on the cover, is love. The trio released a second album in 1980, which I haven't heard.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Idyongwana 8.30
2. Feelings 12.50

Side B
1. Traditional South African Songs 9.33
2. Görans Söder 11.33

World of Dogs - "Real & Legendary Dogs" (2017)

Swedish music today, from my hometown of Uppsala, a record that was a gift from my brother on my birthday. The label that released the album is Excellent Spaces and was founded in Uppsala in 2015 by Sandro Colombo and Nils Hollmer, and they are also the artists behind the music on the record. On their website, you can order the music they have released from various musical projects they've participated in.

The album has been mixed by Gabriel Hollmer, and he is the son of the legendary Uppsala musician Lars Hollmer, among many things a member of the 70s progressive act Samla Mammas Manna, and who passed away a number of years ago. If Nils is a brother to Gabriel, or if they are relatives in some other way, I don't know, but both seem to have Lars' musical knowledge in their blood. Lars Hollmer played a lot of accordion, World of Dogs offers something else, maybe jazzy electronica, if one tries to summarize in a few words. On the net jazz is mentioned, as well as electronica, rock, drum n 'bass and personally I get some vibes of the 90's cool trip hop I listened to then. However, there is no rock n' roll, I don't know where Discogs got that from.

It's actually a great record, and I'm not saying that because I'm from Uppsala, or because it was a gift. It's instrumental straight through, and has an airy and light sound, a sound that makes it a very pleasant experience to listen to the album. No heavy vibes. Even the darker sounds that (rarely) visit the songs feel light, like a white, kind summer cloud. It's an electronic soundscape, in which a saxophone, played by Petter Nordblom, is visiting as the only analogue instrument. Some fine guitar playing is also heard along with the electronic beats. Sometimes I've thought it's a bit like an upbeat and happy Brian Eno.

The album has been released in 500 copies, so I'm guessing my copy is the only one that exists in Canada, maybe even throughout the whole American continent? If you happen to stumble upon the album, I can highly recommend it. A nice soundtrack for a day in the life.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Strength
2 Dexterity
3 Willpower
4 Charisma

Side B
1 Wisdom
2 Intelligence
3 Constitution
4 Luck