What Are You Listening To?

**gryphon** · 04-03-2010, 09:39

Tracklisting:
1. Jude - Morning Morgan Town
2. The Shots - Keep Hold of What You've Got
3. Cliff Wade - Shirley
4. Motherlight - House of Many Windows by Babok !!!
5. Chimera - Peru
6. Fortes Mentum - Saga of a Wrinkled Man
7. Angel Pavement - Baby You've Gotta Stay
8. The Smoke - My Friend Jack
9. Orange Bicycle - Laura's Garden
10. Bob Grimm - It Never Stays The Same
11. Pussy - All of My Life
12. Magic Worms - Green Mello Hill
13. Chiitra Neogy - Leilla
14. Cliff Wade - Look at Me, I've Fallen Into A Teapot

I bought this for the sum of 3GBP whilst on holiday quite a few years ago. Upon listening to it I realised that this album had had another incarnation : infact it was a clone of "Morgan Bluetown Vol I" ....it seems also that during the cloning that one or two tracks have undergone name changes:

"The sound quality on this CD is imperfect, and the track listing is flawed and periodically factually incorrect ("House of Many Windows" should be credited to Bobak, Jons, Malone, and not Motherlight) but there are still some pearls on here which any self-respecting fan of the genre should hear, from Jude's marvelous reading of "Morning Morgan Town" to Cliff Wade's preposterous but ultimately lovable "Look at Me, I've Fallen Into A Teapot" - and he does too, right at the end."

The story of The Morgan Bluetown label............

Once upon a time, there was a North London based recording studio and record label called Morgan, who were extremely successful in their capacity as the former, attracting visits from the Rolling Stones amongst others, but disappeared completely under the radar as an independent house of hits. Some of their acts such as The Orange Bicycle found success on the continent, but in the UK almost all their bands were ignored, and the label failed to produce anything which charted.

Mindful of the changing tide, and perhaps sensing an opportunity to claw back some cash, the label and studio owner Monty Babson created a psychedelic and progressive outlet called Morgan Blue Town in the late sixties which issued a few slabs of vinyl before giving up the ghost. Astonishingly, though, a great many acts were waiting in the wings to issue material for MBT which never got heard outside the studio walls due to the label's demise.

Quoted from
Left and to the Back: The Best Of and the Rest Of British Psychedelia (aka Morgan Blue Town)

So what do you get ?

14 interesting and quite rare psychedelic tracks

The Smoke ....."My Friend Jack" I have listed on Tracks People Should Hear

We get a chance to hear an earlier line of of The Smoke .....The Shots and their excellent track...........Keep Hold Of What You´ve got.

The quirky Cliff Wade produces two tracks here the excellent " Shirley" and the down right odd " Look At Me I`ve Fallen Into A Teapot" ( Strangely I can´t find any connection between Cliff and Morgan Blue Town")

The "House Of Many Windows" and "Saga Of A Wrinkled Man" are both excellent tracks are rare .

Laura´s Garden is a great lost gem and is a taster for an excellent album.

"Leilla" by Chiitra Neogy is an indian influenced instrumental that makes me want to find the album it comes from.

Dude`s cover of "Morning Morgan Town" is a first class effort.

I think this is an really good introduction to the rare and exotic material produced in the shadows of one of London`s more popular studios ......shame there is not a volume 2!!

"

**Music Head** · 04-03-2010, 10:00

^^

excellent review as usual

**Music Head** · 04-03-2010, 11:24

from my library (vinyl)

One of the first of the British hair metal bands. Formed in 1969 and stuck around forever although never finding huge success. This is their ninth album and almost a flat liner except for the diposable lead off instrumental. Nothing great, nothing terrible which pretty much describes their whole career for me. The bands peak years were the mid to late 70's when former Scorpion Mike Schenker was on board. This is the first album after his departure, due to alcohol abuse and tensions in the band. Produced by George Martin. Singles of Young Blood and Lettin' Go which failed to make it. They are still a touring band and released an album just last year.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Alpha Centauri

Best Track - Take It Or Leave It

l'm on my way home
To see my little angel
Trying to put the pieces back together
Well it's been so long
I'm feeling like a stranger
But they tell me a good thing lasts forever

Who's to say we can't talk it over
'Cause in time I know
That we'll work it out
Give it one more chance
Before it's too late
Baby until the last good-bye
Take it or leave it or leave me alone
Baby one (more) little sad reply
Take it or leave it or leave me alone

As time passed by
A thousand miles of ocean
I put you out of sight
And out of mind girl
And before too long promises were broken
Seemed no matter how we tried

Who's to say we can't talk it over
'Cause in time I know
That we'll work it out
Give it one more chance
Before it's too late
Baby until the last good-bye
Take it or leave it or leave me alone
Baby one (more) little sad reply
Take it or leave it or leave me alone

1) Alpha Centauri - *
2) Lettin' Go - ** - live
YouTube - Lettin' Go
3) Mystery Train - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO (Mystery Train)
4) This Fire Burns Tonight - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO ~ This Fire Burns Tonight ~ No Place To Run
5) Gone In The Night - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO - Gone In The Night
6) Young Blood - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO - Young Blood
7) No Place To Run - ** - live
YouTube - No Place to Run
8) Take It or Leave It - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO - Take It Or Leave It
9) Money, Money - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO - Money, Money
10) Anyday - ** - audio
YouTube - UFO - Anyday

Rating - 1.9

**writehearnow** · 04-03-2010, 12:36

King Crimson - Red

Jeff Beck & The Jan Hammer Group - Live

**Music Head** · 05-03-2010, 11:19

from my library (vinyl)

English prog rockers Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson and Andrew Powell formed this group after Parsons frustration over what he felt was his work being restricted by the artists he was producing. How dare them artists want to have control over their work. Really liked the early albums, but they ;ost me a few before this one, which I think may be their worst for me. With 3 instrumental tracks and 4 different lead vocalists on the other 6, there's just no continuity here. One of those instrumentals, Where's The Walrus, earned a grammy nomination for best rock instrumental. The album reached #43 in the states, with a single of the title track at #82.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Chinese Whispers

Best Track - In The Real World

One more compromise I won't be making
One more easy way out I won't be taking
So many chances don't come twice
So many eyes are made of ice
One more cheating hand I won't be shaking

One more substitute I won't be trying
One more piece of the rock that I'm not buying
So many times we stand and fight
So many reasons can't be right
One more simple truth I'm not denying

Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many lonely nights in the real world
Too many fools who don't think twice
Too many ways to pay the price
Don't wanna live my life in the real world

One more sacrifice I won't be making
One more golden rule I won't be breaking
No one to let me state my case
No one to tell me to my face
One more sweet surprise I won't be faking

Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many lonely nights in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world

Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many lonely nights in the real world
Too many games that I can't play
Too many windmills in my way
Don't wanna live my life in the real world

Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many lonely nights in the real world
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Don't wanna live my life in the real world

1) Stereotomy - ** - video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDSgcDk3iD0
2) Beaujolais - * - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji-hchRgPuQ
3) Urbania - * - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9SlTHqd7mg
4) Limelight - ** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf4aNeWxUho
5) In The Real World - ** - audio
YouTube - The Alan Parsons Project - In the real world
6) Where's The Walrus? - * - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj9Wzv1G0f4
7) Light Of The World - ** - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99o7omh_Yqk
8) Chinese Whispers - * - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoXcVIjnbT4
9) Stereotomy Two - * - audio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hePXyCighpc

3's - 0
2's - 4
1's - 5

Rating - 1.4

**Music Head** · 06-03-2010, 11:31

from my library (cd)

The second of a 2 album career, this one just barely holds up compared to their first one for me. Have to think it is because of the departure of co-founding member Chris Bell, leaving Alex Chilton to carry the load. Received excellent reviews on release but a distribution deal when Columbia bought out label Ardent, led to poor sales. Singles of O My Soul and September Gurls, neither of which had any impact. But we can always blame it on that label issue. The very nice but short last track makes up for the bad parts.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Mod Lang

Best Track - I'm In Love With A Girl

I'm in love with a girl
Finest girl in the world
I didn't know I could feel this way.

Think about her all the time
Always on my mind
I didn't know about love.

All that a man should do is true
I didn't know this could happen to me.

1) O My Soul - ** - audio
YouTube - Big Star - O My Soul
2) Life Is White - * - audio
YouTube - Big Star, "Life is White" (Radio City, 1974)
3) Way Out West - **
4) What's Going Ahn - **
5) You Get What You Deserve - **
6) Mod Lang - *
7) Back of A Car - ** - audio
YouTube - Big Star - Back of a Car
8) Daisy Glaze - *
9) She's A Mover - * - audio
YouTube - She's A Mover - Big Star
10) September Gurls - ** - audio
YouTube - Big Star - September Gurls
11) Morpha Too - * - audio
YouTube - morpha too
12) I'm In Love With A Girl - *** - audio
YouTube - Big Star - I'm in love with a girl

3's - 1
2's - 6
1's - 5

Rating - 1.7

**Music Head** · 12-03-2010, 11:10

from my library (digital)

Had forgotten just how great this album actually is. Sort of makes me want to re-evaluate my selection in the best album poll. Oh well. Other than Stairway To Heaven, which classic rock stations have made listeners groan whenever they play it. There is not a track on here that I would tire of hearing one more time. Not that Stairway is not an excellent song. Just don't want to hear it. The album actually did not have a title but has come to be called IV. In the U.S. it is the third best selling album of all time. There were two singles off of here and neither was Stairway. Black Dog reached #15 on the U.S. charts and Rock And Roll #47. The album peaking at #2.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Four Sticks

Best Track - When The Levee Breaks

If it keeps on raining levee's going to break
If it keeps on raining levee's going to break
When the levee breaks have no place to stay

Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
Got what it takes to make a Mountain Man leave his home

Oh, well; oh, well; oh, well.

Don't it make you feel bad?
When you're trying to find your way home you don't know which way to go?
When you're going down south and there's no work to do
And you're going on to Chicago

Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good
Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to go

All last night sat on the levee and moaned
All last night sat on the levee and moaned
Thinking about my baby and my happy home

Going - going to Chicago
Going to Chicago
Sorry, but I can't take you

Going down - going down, now
Going down - going down, now
Going down
Going down
Going down
Going down

Going down - going down, now
Going down - going down, now
Going down - going down, now
Going down
Going dow-, dow-, dow-, dow-, down, now

1) Black Dog - *** - live
YouTube - Led Zeppelin Black Dog 1973
2) Rock And Roll - *** - live
YouTube - Led Zeppelin Rock n Roll 1973
3) The Battle Of Evermore - ** - live
YouTube - led zeppelin the battle of evermore
4) Stairway To Heaven - *** - live
YouTube - Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
5) Misty Mountain Hop - *** - live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwG9iRFmY1I
6) Four Sticks - ** - audio
YouTube - Four Sticks- Led Zeppelin
7) Going To California - ** - live
YouTube - Led Zeppelin-Going To California
8) When The Levee Breaks - *** - audio
YouTube - When The Levee Breaks Led Zeppelin +Lyrics

3's - 5
2's - 3
1's - 0

Rating - 2.6