Link Wray - Stuck In Gear

1975, Virgin Records, V2050

A1: Southern Lady
A2: Tecolote
A3: Quicksand
A4: I Know You're Leaving Me Now
A5: Did You See The Man
B1: Midnight Lover
B2: Cottoncandy Apples
B3: BoJack
B4: Jack The Ripper (live)

Here's a relatively rare LP record by legendary guitarist and rock'n'roll cult figure Link Wray, the guy who invented the power chord, who first experimented with guitar distortion (reputedly by puncturing his amp's speakers with a pencil), and whose 1958 single "Rumble" was banned for supposedly inciting violence, which you have to admit is no mean feat for an instrumental!

Indeed, Link Wray concentrated on instrumental guitar music early on in his career. Having contracted tuberculosis during service in the Korean war, he had a lung removed in hospital and was told that he wouldn't be able to sing. However, after having a string of instrumental hits in the late 50s and early 60s, he did indeed start singing on his records, revealing a very pleasant baritone voice with perhaps a hint of the King himself.

Acclaimed guitarists such as Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend cite Wray as a major influence. When you think of who those guys influenced in turn, you have to concede that the history of the guitar could have turned out quite differently without him.

But to return to the record in question, Stuck In Gear was released in 1975 by Virgin Records in the UK, having been recorded on The Manor Mobile at Ridge Farm, near Dorking in England. It seems strange that such an iconic American guitarist should have come all the way to the UK to record an album, but I guess that was part of the deal he'd struck with Virgin Records.

Side one kicks off with "Southern Lady" and true to its title is a great slice of Southern Rock (even if it was recorded in Dorking), with fluid bass lines, understated piano and organ, a rather nifty stereo effect on the drums, and of course Link's intricate guitar playing. In fact the solo takes up best part of the second half of the song. I can't quite place who his vocals remind me of... perhaps somewhere between Gerry Rafferty and Roy Wood.

"Tecolote" (which is apparently a Spanish terms derived from Classical Nahuatl, and I think it means "Owl" but don't quote me on that) has a native American "tribal" feel to the intro and bridge, which feels appropriate as I believe Wray had native American ancestry. The song again launches into one of Wray's classic guitar solos, with some quite incredible use of the vibrato arm.

"Quicksand" is quite a standard boogie of a track and features a gorgeous harmony guitar solo (isn't that an oxymoron? I guess he doubled the solo in different complimentary intervals), and "I Know You're Leaving Me Now" is a country-esque ballad complete with pedal steel and which very nicely demonstrates the sheer power of Wray's vocals, which sound remarkably Elvis-like here.

"Did You See The Man" wraps up side one with its carnival atmosphere and more Presley-esque vocals, and even a sax solo just in case we were in danger of suffering guitar overload!

Side two begins with the highlight of the record. At 6.05, "Midnight Lover" is the album's longest piece and it's a cracker. The lyrics sound kinda cheesy, "I'm your midnight lover / I'm your midnight man..." but Wray pulls it off effortlessly without a hint of irony, and besides the lyrics are right at home here for this is a funk song. We've got a funky bassline, funky rhythm guitar and keyboard counterpoints, and then (I'm trying to avoid saying "funky" again) there are Wray's guitar riffs and solos a-plenty throughout the song, with some more impressive string bends on that vibrato arm. There's even a proto-rap spoken word section over a lone drum beat in the middle of this song. It's got it all! As I say, best track on the album - absolutely LOVE IT.

"Cottoncandy apples" starts off as a slower-paced piano-led ballad with Wray's vocals once again informed by The King, but half-way through the drums and bass kick in and the track moves up a gear (as opposed to being "stuck in gear"). Even though it has vocals ("My name is BoJack / And they call me Smokestack"), "BoJack" is informed by Wray's own instrumental pieces from earlier in his career what with its opening pentatonic guitar riff. It also features a crazy off-the-wall guitar solo, before changing tack completely for a piano and organ bridge reminiscent in style to the previous piece on the record.

Finally, the album's closer seems almost like an after-thought tagged onto the end of the record to make up the running time. It's the kind of piece you'd more likely expect as a bonus track on a CD, rather than on a non-compilation vinyl album. It's a live version of Wray's classic instrumental piece, "Jack The Ripper", recorded at The Lyceum in London. Even though it's placement here on this album is somewhat bizarre, it has heaps of attitude and bucketloads of feedback. There's a very odd "solo" section featuring a low rumble of feedback over drums towards the end of the piece - I'd love to know exactly what Wray was doing with his guitar there.

All in all, it's a very fine album with not a duff track in sight, and proof that Link Wray was not only a very fine guitarist but he could sing pretty damn well too. Alas, he passed away in 2005 at the age of 76. I mentioned earlier that this LP is relatively rare, and I know it's quite sought after by Wray's fans. It's never been reissued on vinyl or - amazingly - even on CD. The only way to get a copy is to track down an original pressing second-hand somewhere. I found my copy several years ago on eBay; I believe I paid approx £35 for it, but it's such a good record that I thought it was well worth the price. I was going through a serious Link Wray phase at the time and had even tracked down an original Yamaha SG-3 guitar which was as close as I could find to Wray's infamous "Screamin' Red" (which was actually a Yamaha SG-2).

Why this album has never been re-issued is quite beyond me; it's almost criminal! Track down a copy if you can!

Sparks - Kimono My House

1974, Island Records, ILPS 9272

A1: This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us
A2: Amateur Hour
A3: Falling In Love With Myself Again
A4: Here In Heaven
A5: Thank God It's Not Christmas
B1: Hasta Mañana Monsieur
B2: Talent Is An Asset
B3: Complaints
B4: In My Family
B5: Equator

Kimono My House is the 3rd album for Sparks, but was the first of a trio of albums they made for Island Records in the mid 1970s when the brothers Ron and Russell Mael had relocated from Los Angeles to the United Kingdom, with a band they put together using British musicians.

This particular vinyl copy of the album was given to me a few years ago by a friend who had bought it in a car boot sale. The condition of the record is practically mint, both the record itself and the packaging. I don't think the record had even been played before. It just goes to show that there are excellent finds to be had at car boots, in charity shops, and the like.

This album is a classic. I already owned a copy on CD, but it was a real treat to hear it as intended on vinyl. The first track is Sparks' best known song, the fantastic "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us", a song that I never tire of hearing. I recall when the single came out, we thought, "Wow, what was that?" as Russell Mael's falsetto vocal performance and rapid lyric delivery was something quite special, and not like anything we'd heard before. Add to that the Top Of The Pops appearances during which Ron Mael on keyboards just looked bizarre, not just his appearance, all dapper with Chaplin-esque moustache, but also in his facial expressions which made it appear that he'd rather be anywhere else at that moment in time. They were certainly an act that caught the attention!

"This Town..." finishes and immediately "Amateur Hour" starts up. Those two songs just sound right together. "Amateur Hour" was another single and discusses teenage urges and fumblings, warning that to be accomplished sexually is something that has to be worked at, that "It's a lot like playing the violin / You cannot start off and be Yehudi Menuhin".

This is one of the reason I love Sparks so much. Their humour, witty lyrics, word-play, wicked observations and view of the world. And they aren't just lyrically brilliant, the tunes are first class too, with a lot of interplay between vocal lines and instrumental riffs and motifs. Ron Mael, Sparks' principal song smith, must be one of the finest composers that popular music has ever seen.

"Falling In Love With Myself Again" is typical of Sparks' sometimes absurdist humour. Sparks would later return to the theme of such narcissistic tendencies on their 2002 album Lil' Beethoven with the song "I Married Myself" - I guess it could be seen as a sequel to "Falling In Love With Myself Again". (In 2004, I saw Sparks play a show at London's Royal Festival Hall as part of the Meltdown Festival as curated by Morrissey, where they performed both albums Kimono My House and Lil' Beethoven in their entirety - I remember Russell's comment that we should "compare and contrast").

"Here In Heaven" is a tale of two lovers who have made a suicide pact, told from the viewpoint of the only one of the pair who had actually gone through with the act. Who else but Sparks could write and deliver a love song with lyrics: "Up here in heaven without you / It is hell knowing that your health will keep you out of here / For years and years and years"?

"Thank God It's Not Christmas" - an anti-Christmas song... Brilliant! As anyone who has worked in retail will know, having listened to endless loops of festive music at that certain time of year, a song with this sentiment is awfully appealing.

Side Two kicks off with "Hasta Mañana Monsieur", a Russell and Ron Mael joint composition celebrating wordplay, and which is also the source of the album's title. Considering at the time this record came out Sparks were popular with a pre-pubescent and young teenage audience, you have to wonder what these fans made of lines such as "You mentioned Kant and I was shocked / You know where I come from, none of the girls have such foul tongues".

"Talent Is An Asset" is the story of child genius Albert (Einstein?) and his over-bearing family. One has to wonder if this song may be partially autobiographical, the brothers Mael having been child actors/models. "Complaints" and "In My Family" are quite straightforward Sparks songs with no apparent hidden agendas, depths nor meanings, but are beautifully composed vignettes all the same, the latter delivering the delicious line "Gonna hang myself / From my family tree".

The album closes with "Equator", on which Russell really pushes himself vocally with the piece finishing with some acapella, almost scat-style singing.

Of course, CD editions contain bonus tracks: the single b-sides "Barbecutie" and "Lost And Found", plus live tracks on later CD reissues, but really the essence of the album is provided by the 10 songs on the original vinyl record. It's perfectly formed as it is. Standout tracks? All of them! They are all brilliant, the album flows naturally from one song to the next, they got everything right with this record, the tracklisting, the running order, the lyrics, the music, the quality of the musicianship. All is absolutely first class.

The Cars picture disc singles

The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl b/w Moving In Stereo
1978, Elektra Records, K 12301

As above - removed from PVC sleeve - notice the discolouration
to the parts of the record which were exposed to the light

As above - the B-side of the record and a rather uninspired image, basically an oversized record label

The Cars - Just What I Needed b/w I'm In Touch With Your World
1979, Elektra Records, K 12312

The Cars - Let's Go b/w That's It
1979, Elektra Records, K 12371 P

The Cars - Double Life b/w Got A Lot On My Head
1979, Elektra Records, K 12385(P)

The Cars - Shake It Up b/w Cruiser
1982, Elektra Records, K12583P (1st version)

The Cars - Shake It Up b/w Cruiser
1982, Elektra Records, K12583P (2nd version)

My first ever picture disc record purchase was "Just What I Needed" by The Cars (the blue one), purchased in 1979. A friend at school talked me into buying his copy of their first single, "My Best Friend's Girl" which was also on a picture disc featuring the same design in a different colour scheme. The way he explained it to me was that they'd be more valuable as a pair. Of course, after that I had to buy subsequent Cars picture disc singles as they became available, just to complete the set.

The final two picture discs - those featuring the orange and pink cars - are actually the same single released in 1982. For some reason Elektra records had decided to release it in two colour versions. Probably so people like me who'd been trying to collect them all would have to buy two copies of the same record. The content of the records - and the catalogue number - are identical.

The whole set of 7" Cars picture discs ... I think...

I always quite liked the simplicity of the design. It was quite clever how a letter "A" was incorporated into the car's design to denote the A-side of the record, and also that the exhaust output was the record's centre hole. However, I always thought they copped-out on the flip-side of the disc as it could have had another image but Elektra Records just opted for a giant label on the b-side of each record in the series. One thing I've only just tonight noticed is that the sides of each record are referred to not as A-side/B-side or Side 1/Side 2 but as the "off side" and "near side" - a motoring metaphor that I'd not picked up on before.

However, to get finally to the reason I've compiled this blog post, what I'd like to know is: Do I have a complete set of these Cars picture disc singles or were there other releases also featuring this design?

The Cars - Since You're Gone b/w Best Friend's Girl / Let's Go - 12" single
1982, Elektra Records, K 13177PT (side A)

The Cars - Since You're Gone b/w Best Friend's Girl / Let's Go - 12" single
1982, Elektra Records, K 13177PT (side B)

I do also have a 12" picture disc single by The Cars, "Since You're Gone" backed with previous singles "Best Friend's Girl" and "Let's Go", but this release departs from the car design as seen on the 7" singles.

Note that the first single, "My Best Friend's Girl" has suffered from some discolouration over the years, and that the PVC sleeves haven't always survived too well.

If anyone has any further info, please leave a comment below.

Gary Moore - Back On The Streets

1978, MCA Records, MCL 1622

A1: Back On The Streets
A2: Don't Believe A Word
A3: Fanatical Fascists
A4: Flight Of The Snow Moose
B1: Hurricane
B2: Song For Donna
B3: What Would You Rather Bee Or A Wasp
B4: Parisienne Walkways

Released in 1978 Back On The Streets was the second solo album from Irish guitarist Gary Moore. Now, despite being a guitar player myself I am always somewhat wary of solo albums from guitarists. I'm not very fond of records full of technical guitar playing, often performed at the expense of actual songs. The likes of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani leave me absolutely cold. Widdle widdle widdle widdle widdle... you get the picture?

However, I've always been a fan of Thin Lizzy, and as this album contained considerable input from Moore's Thin Lizzy band mates, bassist/vocalist Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey, I had to track down a copy and give it a whirl. Thankfully, this is NOT an instrumental guitar album although it does contain some tasteful and quite listenable instrumental pieces. Moore himself lends his own vocal chords to most of the songs, but Thin Lizzy frontman and bassist, the legendary Phil Lynott, almost steals Moore's thunder with his vocal performance on "Parisienne Walkways" and "Don't Believe A Word", the latter song upon which Moore and Lynott alternate lead vocal parts. "Don't Believe A Word", of course, was previously recorded by Thin Lizzy but the version here on Back On The Streets is a slower bluesier interpretation. Lynott later revealed that this was how the song was originally conceived, and indeed Thin Lizzy played the slower version on their final "Thunder and Lightning" tour. (I'm talking the originally Thin Lizzy, not the re-formed band of recent years). 

Gary Moore sings lead on another Lynott-penned track, "Fanatical Fascists", a punchy rocky number that could have been a Lizzy song. However, to my own surprise I found that standout tracks for me were the instrumentals, both with bad puns in the titles, "Flight Of The Snow Moose" and "What Would You Rather Bee Or A Wasp" upon which Moore is able to demonstrate his guitar virtuosity. I needn't have worried about listening to a lot of widdling, both these pieces are quite tastefully musical and well constructed, with "Snow Moose" having a beautiful acoustic intro.

I can imagine this album is quite an interesting one for the collector because there are a fair number of different versions of it. Soon after this record was released Gary Moore and Phil Lynott had a spectacular falling out which resulted in Lynott's vocals being removed from the songs he sang on the album and being replaced with Moore's own. So there is one release of the album containing Phil Lynott singing and another with Gary Moore as the sole vocalist. To confuse things further, certain editions had an additional song, "Spanish Guitar", whilst certain CD editions contained the tracks in a completely different order. And then there was the Gary Moore compilation album of the same title. Talk about confusing! The record I have, however, appears to be the original vinyl release complete with Phil Lynott on vocals and bass where it matters.

Following this album Gary Moore made some heavier rock albums, then with the release in 1990 of "Still Got The Blues" he turned his back on his rock career and devoted himself exclusively to the blues. Sadly, he passed away following a heart attack in early 2011. Phil Lynott had much earlier passed away on Christmas Day 1985. This album is an interesting and thoroughly entertaining snapshot into both of their careers.

The cover artwork, by the way, shows Gary Moore supposedly being released from notorious London prison Wormwood Scrubs. We can overlook his dubious fashion sense (that white jacket and those white shoes) as it was the 1970s, after all!

The Old Grey Whistle Test sessions in the videos below show "Gary Moore & Friends" playing songs from Back On The Streets and also feature Scott Gorham on guitar and Cozy Powell on drums.