| The Woodstock
Diaries is an enthralling ''fly on the wall'' documentary about the
creation of Woodstock, and of the actual three day event itself. It
contains drama, humour and even pathos, and recaptures those heady days
of the hippie movement when young people really believed that they could
change the world. And yet incredibly this historic event almost never
happened. A series of near-catastrophes conspired to derail the
Woodstock Festival and, but for the sheer perseverance and chutzpah of
several key characters, the whole course of rock music could have been
drastically different. |
| With 68 tracks,
most of which I thoroughly enjoy listening to, I had to buy this album
as soon as I looked to see what new releases were in the shops. It was a
particularly good day for me as I also bought three other new releases,
so I've got a busy period of reviewing this week. Many of these tracks will be familiar to fans of 70s pop music, and not just in Britain where this compilation was released. Mainstream pop, rock, soul and disco music inevitably dominate, reflecting the tastes of record buyers at the time. I only started collecting records in 1977, but I listened to a lot of pop radio before then so I became very familiar with these songs. Along the way I had forgotten some, but in most cases I'm pleased to be reminded of them. Even so, my favourites tend to be among the tracks I've bought on albums or compilations by the individual artists, which is well over half of them. I like compilations of this type because the give me a different listening experience, plus there's always the chance that I remember I must buy a collection by an artist who I hadn't got round to buying but meant to. It's too early to say whether this particular compilation will prompt me in that way, but it's happened plenty of times before. |
| The House That
Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records is a four-disc set, compiled
and annotated by author Ashley Kahn who wrote the book of the same name
being published concurrently with its release. Impulse's great run was
between 1961 and 1976 -- a period of 15 years that ushered in more
changes in jazz than at any other point in the music's history. Impulse
began recording in the last weeks of 1960, with Ray Charles, Kai Windig
/J.J. Johnson, and Gil Evans. While Impulse experimented with 45s 33 1/3
EPs, cassettes, and reel to reel tapes later in its existence, it
was--and this set focuses on-- it was the music on its LPs (with
distinct orange and black packaging in gatefold sleeves containing
copious notes) that helped to set them apart. Impulse was dedicated to
ushering in the new and controversial, but also sought to showcase
established artists from the tradition (maintaining the jazz lineage)
who continued to work and develop. While the label is certainly
associated more closely with John Coltrane than any other of its artists
(Coltrane also acted as an ad hoc A&R man), it nonetheless
established and forwarded the careers of dozens of jazzers. |
| This
anniversary release is a three CD collection featuring classic rock acts
from the Old Grey Whistle Test era including the likes of Elton John,
Eric Clapton, The Who, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, as well as a number
of American new wave artists such as Blondie, The Ramones and Talking
Heads. The bonus tracks were recorded live on the Old Grey Whistle Test
and cover the shows entire 16 years and as such have a more diverse feel
with artists from Alice Cooper and John Lennon to Magazine and Simple
Minds. The album is packaged in a deluxe reverse board digipak. |
