Once again, as the year comes to a close, it’s time to assess some of the releases we’ve received that would make great gifts for your loved ones, related ones or your one and only. We picked through the pile and came up with a diversified selection we believe tinkles the eyes and ears of even the most discriminating music lover. Here’s five to think about….
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Glad All Over
Dave Clark Five
A lot of people don’t realize how big the Dave Clark Five were in 1964. They spearheaded the British Invasion of the United States, where they became the first UK band to tour and score a 15 consecutive Top 20 hits within a two-year period. That’s more than any other group or artist in the world — except their arch rivals The Beatles. DC5, as they became known, also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show 18 times — more than other British act.
Their 1964 debut album in America, Glad All Over, has been remastered by Dave Clark at Abbey Road Studios and reissued on limited-edition white vinyl —its first reissue on vinyl since it was first released. This is the record that put DC5 on the map in the United States. In addition to the Top 10 title track, “Bits And Pieces,” “Do You Love Me,” there’s the sax instrumental “Chaquita!” — perhaps the group’s most un-Beatle-un-British-like-sounding song ever. With an updated track list and cover artwork perfectly reproduced to the specs of the original, Glad All Over is the ideal gift for any British Invasion buff who collects vinyl.
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Immortal Axes: Guitars That Rock
As a follow-up to 2013’s 108 Rock Star Guitars, a highly elaborate, 395-page coffee-table photo book, Immortal Axes: Guitars That Rock features more from the lens of renown photographer Lisa S. Johnson, whose unique captures of guitars belonging to the likes of B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Jimmy Page, Tom Petty Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Dave Grohl and more grace nearly 400 pages. In between images that close in on the nooks and crannies of well-worn tools of the musical trade are written descriptions and recollections organized by veteran music editor Brad Tolinski.
With a preface by music journalist Lonn Friend, a foreword by Peter Frampton and an afterword from Suzi Quatro, Johnson’s reputation as a fine-art photographer precedes her. She approaches each guitar she shoots with a sharp eye for detail, history and impact. It’s impossible to casually flip through this collection without taking notice of the colors, the layout and the overall essence of these instruments showcased in their element. Music fans, instrument aficionados, guitar players, fans of photography and individuals who appreciate style and content will love the gift of Immortal Axes: Guitars That Rock for the holidays or anytime of the year.
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Magic Carpet Ride: The Dunhill / ABC Years (1967-1971)
Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf plied through an extremely prolific period when they recorded for Dunhill / ABC Records from 1968 through 1971, releasing six studio albums and two live albums. Fifty years later, all eight have been remastered and packaged together as Magic Carpet Ride: The Dunhill / ABC Years (1967-1971). Available from Cherry Red Records, the set features 26 extra tracks (mostly mono single versions) added on to the original albums. Simply put, if you or anyone you know are any kind of fan of Steppenwolf, curious beyond the hits and open to going deeper into the band’s vast catalog, this collection could be just what you’re looking for.
With eight albums — Steppenwolf, The Second, At Your Birthday Party, Early Steppenwolf, Monster, Steppenwolf Live, Steppenwolf 7, and For Ladies Only — in the can, that means scrubbed-up remasters of not only “Born To Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride,” in both stereo and mono, but also other favorites like “Sookie Sookie,” “The Pusher,” “Never Too Late,” “Jupiter Child” and “Rock Me.” There’s little doubt that Steppenwolf, with John Kay (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Goldy McJohn (organ, piano) and Jerry Edmonton (drums), Michael Monarch (lead guitar), and Rushton Moreve (bass) making up the classic lineup, were no mere one-hit wonders. If you have anyone on your list with a penchant for the psychedelia, then Magic Carpet Ride: The Dunhill / ABC Years (1967-1971) might just be the ticket.
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The Who Onstage 1969-1971
As the careers of the musical artists we love begin to sunset, we can take comfort in the amount of documentation via the memories, words and images of those who were there and saw what mattered. Stewart Hellman loved the Who so much, he walked 14 miles to see them at Woodstock. Over the next two years, he photographed the Who at Fillmore East, the Tanglewood Music Shed and the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium. Fifty years later, his book, The Who Onstage 1969-1971, features his best Who photos from those days.
Hellman says he “got tired of buying books that never showed the true greatness of the Who onstage.” Judging from the shots of the foursome at arguably their peak, it’s hard to argue with how well Hellman managed to capture them in action. One breeze through and you’ll see how these images of the classic Who lineup — Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and John Entwistle — all nicely bound in a hard or soft cover that’s easy to carry could be everything the Who fanatic in your group could wish for.
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Cahoots (50th Anniversary Edition)
The Band
Over the last three years, fans of The Band have been getting an earload with anniversary reissues of From Big Pink, the self-titled record and Stage Fright. So, there’s no reason 1971’s Cahoots should be an exception. The fourth studio album by The Band – Garth Hudson (keyboards, accordion, horns), Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals, drums), Rick Danko (bass, vocals) and Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals) — Cahoots rings in the half-century mark with multiple 50th Anniversary Edition packages, including a Super Deluxe double-CD, single Blu-ray, single LP, single seven-inch vinyl 45 boxset, as well as various digital, double CD, and 180-gram half-speed-mastered black vinyl configurations.
New stereo, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround-sound mixes of the 11-song album elevate the magnitude and intensity of tracks like “Life Is A Carnival,” “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and “Where Do We Go From Here.” When throw in unreleased recordings, including Live At The Olympia Theatre, Paris, May 1971, plus alternates and outtakes of songs like “Endless Highway” and “Don’t Do It,” an exclusive reproduction of the Japanese pressing of 1971 seven-inch vinyl single for “Life Is A Carnival” b/w “The Moon Struck One,” a 20-page booklet, three photo lithographs, and a bunch of other swag. The instrumental version of “Volcano” is worth the price of admission alone. In other words, you’ll score big-time with anyone who receives this set as a gift.
~ Shawn Perry
