Staff Picks, Volume 2

HIGH TIME
MC5

Detroit’s MC5 were at the vanguard of the revolution in the late ‘60s. What kind of revolution? Musical, cultural, you name it… These were golden times when rock n roll was the currency amongst the youth, and if one were to harness this power, the possibilities were endless. The Five took this notion to heart and subscribed to the message “total assault on the culture by any means necessary, including rock ‘n’ roll, dope, and fucking in the streets,” proffered by John Sinclair’s (a former teacher who was dubbed Detroit’s “King of the Hippies,” in addition to becoming the MC5’s first manager) radical political faction The White Panthers. When Elektra signed the MC5 in 1968, it was thought that the band’s brand of full-tilt, soul-infused, psychedelic/jazz-informed rock would take over and provide a key to the new direction. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. After the live tour de force of their debut, KICK OUT THE JAMS, the MC5 followed it up with the streamlined BACK IN THE U.S.A. While both are excellent albums, neither of them caught on with the public at large. This set the stage for the Five’s final record, HIGH TIME. In many ways, this was the fusing of the strengths from their previous works (raw energy and conscientious production, respectively). In the end, we are left with a powerful, challenging, deep and truly rocking postscript to a seminal band’s career. Though its tenure was relatively brief, the MC5 continue to be a profound influence on rock ‘n’ rollers, to this day.

FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR
Faces

Though sometimes thought of as a poor man’s Rolling Stones, The Faces made kings out of anyone fortunate enough to enter into their sweaty milieu. Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood, Ian McLagan & Kenny Jones were legendary for their bacchanalian take on rock, as well as life. FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR tells the story of this band that, despite their abundant individual talents, was still more than a sum of their parts. The songs are certainly a good place to start, what with gems like “Stay With Me,” “Flying,” and “Bad ‘n Ruin,” dotting the track list. However, the true beauty of this collection comes with its assembly. The box was produced by Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan. He put the running order together based primarily on “feel.” Chronology and other notions would take a back seat. Usually, that would be frustrating, but in McLagan’s hands it comes off as an amazing 4-hour Faces concert. He includes live cuts, demos, alternate versions, as well as a few Rod Stewart solo tracks. The live BBC version of McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” is worth the price of admission alone. This may very well be the best boxed set ever created.

IF ONLY I COULD REMEMBER MY NAME (DELUXE EDITION)
David Crosby

The super-group that was Crosby, Stills & Nash (and at times, Young) not only had an amazing pedigree amongst its members (Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds & The Hollies), but could almost do no wrong during the period of the band’s first couple albums. All of the members also utilized this time to release their first solo albums, to universal acclaim. Neil Young’s solo career even went on to eclipse anything that he did with the group. However, there was one record that has gotten lost in history’s shuffle. I’m referring to David Crosby’s solo debut, IF ONLY I COULD REMEMBER MY NAME (DELUXE EDITION). Crosby is mostly remembered for his gorgeous harmonies and his appetite for life. However, this record was where he took hold of the reigns and created a masterpiece, whose sound & feel truly encapsulated the nascent hippy movement, housed in the hills above Los Angeles. Equal parts beauty, fear & menace, the songs roll out like the rising sun. “Music Is Love” starts us off with an ode to ideals that, at the time, seemed closer to reality than they ever have before or since. “Laughing” is a track that Crosby wrote to George Harrison with advice on the fallibility of gurus. This song also features backing vocals from Joni Mitchell and musical backing from The Grateful Dead (who were the backing band for most of the record). Some songs didn’t even need lyrics to be evocative, as displayed with the vocals on “Song With No Words (Tree With No Leaves).” It all adds up to an album which truly displayed the power that the union of rock & folk had on the pop landscape… and it still resonates.

CACTOLOGY - THE CACTUS COLLECTION
Cactus

Cactus was the American Led Zeppelin that should have been, but wasn’t. This raises the following questions: Did they feature a pounding & psychedelic take on the blues? Check (courtesy of former Vanilla Fudge rhythm section Carmine Appice & Tim Bogert). How ‘bout an amazing guitarist? Check (that would be Jim McCarty). Lastly, did they have a charismatic front man whose wailings seemed to emanate from someplace far south of heaven? Indeed they did and his name was Rusty Day. So, how come this band isn’t mentioned in the same breath with other rock titans? Well, that’s anybody’s guess, but I can guarantee it has nothing to do with the music. The tracks on Cactology span the group’s career and highlight just what it was that made them so incredibly awesome. Seriously, if you can listen to tracks like “Parchman Farm,” “You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover,” and “One Way…Or Another,” and not immediately get down in a heavy fashion, you’d better check your pulse, my friend! In the meantime, we’ll keep on groovin’ to one of rock’s greatest unsung bands.

THE DIO YEARS
Black Sabbath

The seminal metal albums HEAVEN AND HELL & MOB RULES were the product of hard rock institution Black Sabbath losing their singer and focal point, Ozzy Osbourne, in 1978. Rather than derailing the group, this turn of events prompted them to reform with new singer Ronnie James Dio (formerly of Rainbow). The resulting two albums put the quartet (now including drummer Vinnie Appice) back on the map amongst current heavy metal practitioners. Though the products of a short-lived partnership, songs like “Neon Knights,” “Heaven and Hell,” and “Falling Off The Edge Of The World,” continue to inspire legions of fans and make up Rhino’s THE DIO YEARS. This collection also includes tracks from 1992’s DEHUMANIZER, Dio’s one-off return to the fold, as well a few heavy new songs like “The Devil Cried.” It’s the time to raise the horns again for one of rock’s most excellent bands.