Camel - Camel [Vinyl Rip] (1973)

Year: 28 February 1973 (LP 1973)
Label: MCA Records (UK), MCL 1601, CPS 10131
Style: Art Rock, Symphonic Rock
Country: Guildford, Surrey, England
Time: 38:51
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 258 Mb

CAMEL played their first gig at Waltham Forest Technical College supporting Wishbone Ash on 4th Dec 1971.
By August of '72, CAMEL were signed to MCA Records. They quickly entered the studio to record their first self-titled album, 'CAMEL'. A collection of individual songs, chiefly from Latimer and Bardens, the album was greeted with muted success and MCA did not take an option for a second album. By now, the group had acquired management, Geoff Jukes and Max Hole of Gemini Artists (later to become GAMA Records), and moved to Decca Records where they would remain for 10 years. The push & pull relationship between Latimer and Bardens brought out the best from their compositional skills. They inspired one another with their individual solo work both in the studio and on stage. Energies were high. CAMEL gigged 9 months of the year and firmly established a reputation for their excellent live sound.
Their second album, 'MIRAGE', heightened their profile and the album sleeve attracted the unwanted attention of the USA branch of Camel cigarettes who demanded the band change the cover or face legal action. The USA record company quickly fashioned a new sleeve to avoid legal hassles. The original sleeve remained unchanged throughout the rest of the world as Geoff Jukes had already struck a deal with the European branch of the cigarette company to release tiny packets of cigarettes (5 cigarettes to a packet) using the CAMEL artwork, including track-listing. So enamoured were the executives in Europe, they visited the band in the studio trying to talk CAMEL into renaming the songs on 'MIRAGE' (e.g., "Twenty To The Pack"). They also wanted CAMEL to cover their amps with camel skins, allow advertisements and give away cigarettes at all the performances. The latter was successful as Jukes had struck a deal the band were never privy to. The band were getting 'belligerent' and a sarcastically amusing Peter Bardens suggested an album song-title of "Twenty Sticks Of Cancer".
Thus ended the association twixt the beast and the leaf.
In 1975, CAMEL 'concept' album came about. For 'MIRAGE' Latimer had written 'White Rider' (inspired by Tolkein's 'Lord Of The Rings') and Ferguson suggested doing a an entire album based on a book. All band members were fond of reading at the time so each set out in search of a good story. Bardens suggested 'Siddhartha' and 'Steppenwolf' but when Ferguson suggested Paul Gallico's 'THE SNOW GOOSE' the emotional appeal was strong. 'THE SNOW GOOSE' took fans by surprise. Entirely instrumental, 'THE SNOW GOOSE' earned them Melody Maker's "Brightest Hope" award and firmly established the band with a strong and loyal fan base. It also took author Paul Gallico by surprise. Gallico, a fierce opponent of cigarette smoking, hated the name of the band believing it to be connected to the cigarette company and threatened to sue if the title was not changed. Legalities observed, the album title had the additional words "inspired by" and the threat was subdued. This behind-the-scene drama had no effect on the appeal of the album. On 17th October 1975, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra, CAMEL performed 'THE SNOW GOOSE' at The Royal Albert Hall to a sold-out crowd.
(camelproductions.com/)

01. A1 Slow Yourself Down (04:44)

02. A2 Mystic Queen (05:35)

03. A3 Six Ate (06:00)

04. A4 Separation (03:53)

05. B1 Never Let Go (06:22)

06. B2 Curiosity (05:51)

07. B3 Arubaluba (06:24)

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The Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord [Vinyl Rip] (1968)

Year: 26 July 1968 (LP 1968)
Label: Deram Records (UK), SML.711
Style: Symphonic Rock, Art Rock
Country: Birmingham, England
Time: 41:55
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 243 Mb

In Search of the Lost Chord is a concept album around a broad theme of quest and discovery, including world exploration ("Dr. Livingstone, I Presume"), music and philosophy through the ages ("House of Four Doors"), lost love ("The Actor"), spiritual development ("Voices in the Sky"), knowledge in a changing world ("Ride My See-Saw"), higher consciousness ("Legend of a Mind"), imagination ("The Best Way to Travel"), and space exploration ("Departure"). Space exploration would go on to become the theme of the Moodies' 1969 album To Our Children's Children's Children, inspired by and dedicated to the Apollo 11 mission. The mysterious "lost chord" of the title is revealed to be the mantra "Om" (in the last stanza of Graeme Edge's poem "The Word"). (Wikipedia)
Matrix Side A: ZAL-8270-3W, Side B: ZAL-8271-2W.

01. A1 Departure (00:49)

02. A2 Ride My See-Saw (03:38)

03. A3 Dr. Livingstone, I Presume (02:59)

04. A4 House Of Four Doors (04:13)

05. A5 Legend Of A Mind (06:40)

06. A6 House Of Four Doors (Part 2) (01:43)

07. B1 Voices In The Sky (03:37)

08. B2 The Best Way To Travel (03:10)

09. B3 Visions Of Paradise (04:17)

10. B4 The Actor (04:40)

11. B5 The Word (00:49)

12. B6 Om (05:47)

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Bad Company - Straight Shooter [Vinyl Rip] (1975)

Year: 2 April 1975 (LP 1975)
Label: Island Records (UK), ILPS 9304
Style: Rock, Hard Rock
Country: Westminster, London, England, UK
Time: 38:24
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 252 Mb

Album charts: UK #3. Norway #6. New Zealand #13. USA #3. Canada #3
Bad Company are an English hard rock supergroup formed in Westminster, London, in 1973 by two former Free band members-singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke—as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
Bad Company enjoyed great success throughout the 1970s. Their first three albums, Bad Company (1974), Straight Shooter (1975), and Run With the Pack (1976), reached the top five in the album charts in both the UK and US. Many of their singles, such as "Bad Company", "Can't Get Enough", "Good Lovin' Gone Bad", and "Feel Like Makin' Love", remain staples of classic rock radio.

Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) – vocals, guitar, piano
Mick Ralphs (born 31 March 1944) – guitar, keyboards
Boz Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) – bass
Simon Kirke (born 28 July 1949) – drums

01. A1 Good Lovin' Gone Bad (03:34)

02. A2 Feel Like Makin' Love (05:13)

03. A3 Weep No More (04:01)

04. A4 Shooting Star (06:12)

05. B1 Deal With The Preacher (05:02)

06. B2 Wild Fire Woman (04:32)

07. B3 Anna (03:44)

08. B4 Call On Me (06:02)

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Zodiac - Music In The Universe [Vinyl Rip] (1983)

Year: 1983 (LP 1983)
Label: Melodia Records (Russia), C60-18365-6
Style: Instrumental, Space Disco Music, Rock, Synth-Pop
Country: Riga, Latvia
Time: 32:42
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 193 Mb

Zodiac was a space disco music band that existed in the 1980s in Latvia, then a part of Soviet Union. The band was extremely popular in the Soviet Union and has been credited by critics as the Soviet answer to the French band Space who were popular at the time.

Zodiac was formed by Janis Lusens, then studying composition at the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga (now Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music). The other four members of the group were also students of various faculties of the same conservatory.

Zodiac's first vinyl record "Disco Alliance" was released in 1980 on the monopolist Melodiya label, during the band members' studentship. The album was produced by Aleksandrs Griva, who was also the father of band member Zane Griva. The music featured a lot of then-unusual synthesized sounds and effects together with more conventional euro disco elements.

The second album "Music in the Universe" released two years later was much inspired by a meeting with cosmonauts in the Star City, Moscow and their tales about space flights. The music of the second album was much more rock-influenced than the first.

During that time the band also performed the music of Viktor Vlasov for the films "Woman's Joys and Sorrows", 1982 and "The Tank Crew", 1983, the soundtracks for the both films were released on a vinyl record "Music from the Films" in 1985. The music of the group was also used in the documentary film about the cosmonaut artist Alexei Leonov "Star Palette", 1982.

The album "In Memoriam" was composed and produced by Janis Lusens alone and released in 1989. The album was dedicated to the ancient and modern cultural and natural heritage of Latvia. The sounding of the album turned from disco to light techno/synthpop while gaining a lot of classical music influences as well as the influence of Jean Michel Jarre's ambient works.

The last album "Clouds'" was released in 1991 by RiTonis (former Melodiya). It contains a hit song of the early 1990s in Latvia "My favourite flowers".

"Disco Alliance" and "Music in the Universe" were released together on compact disc by Mikrofona Ieraksti (which represents EMI in the Baltic states).

In the early 2000s, the Russian electronic duo PPK recorded a remix of Zodiac's composition "Zodiac" from the "Disco Alliance" album. This remix, titled "Reload", entered the charts in a number of territories.

(en.wikipedia.org)

01. A1 The Mysterious Galaxy (04:51)

02. A2 Laser Illumination (04:22)

03. A3 Silver Dream (03:41)

04. A4 Photo Finish (J. Lusens) (04:44)

05. B1 The Other Side Of Heaven (05:54)

06. B2 In The Light Of Saturn (03:55)

07. B3 Flight Over El Dorado (J. Lusens) (05:14)

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Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) - Garcia (1972)

Year: January 20, 1972 (CD 2005)
Label: Rhino Records,  (U.S.), R2 79504
Style: Folk Rock, Pop
Country: San Francisco, California, U.S. (August 1, 1942 - August 9, 1995)
Time: 77:04
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 477 Mb

If Garcia is any indication of what to expect from Round Records, the Grateful Dead’s new spin-off label ought to be rechristened Flat. The production (pinned on John Kahn) seems determined to deprive the music of all edge, contrast and excitement (if there was any to begin with). Garcia boasts a lot of talent (Richard Greene, Maria Muldaur, Michael O’Martian, Amos Garrett and many others), but it all comes out jejune easy listening. “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” for instance, is so lifeless that the evening in question will presumably be passed playing canasta. “Let It Rock” simply doesn’t.
Jerry Garcia must shoulder most of the blame himself. As usual his singing — and he sings a great deal — is expressionless and limp. And he calls attention to his inadequacy by attempting songs which bring to mind great vocalists: “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game” (Smokey Robinson), “He Ain’t Give You None” (Van Morrison) and “Let’s Spend the Night Together” (Mick Jagger). All this might be forgiven if the album offered generous helpings of Garcia on guitar, but Garcia restricts himself to infrequent and unobtrusive lines which are letter-perfect yet conventional and characterless, as if he were an anonymous session guitarist.
Still, it’s puzzling that the album is as dull as it is. For the choice of songs is interesting (there’s a version of Irving Berlin’s “Russian Lullaby”) and the material ranges from blues to soul to rock to pop. Garcia experiments with a promising number of different musical settings: brass, a bevy of clarinets and on two tracks a ten-piece string section. But despite the apparent variety, Garcia is monotonous, partly because of whatever it is that has afflicted the Dead of late.
It’s uncertain why (age? success? dope?) but incontrovertibly true that the Dead have begun to live up to their name. Sapped of the old exuberance and vitality, more often than not their music has sounded moribund, and the best that can be said of it is that it has been comfortable. But then, so is a bed, and music ought to wake one up. If the Dead have gone stale, one would expect Garcia’s ventures apart from the band to be fresher. This is far from the case, however, as his insipid records with organist Merle Saunders (also on Garcia) attest. To steal his own bluegrass group’s sobriquet, Jerry Garcia sounds Old and in the Way.
(rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/garcia-191448/) By KEN EMERSON; AUGUST 15, 1974 4:00AM ET

01. Deal (03:14)

02. Bird Song (04:26)

03. Sugaree (05:54)

04. Loser (04:10)

05. Late for Supper (01:37)

06. Spidergawd (03:25)

07. Eep Hour (05:08)

08. To Lay Me Down (06:18)

09. An Odd Little Place (01:38)

10. The Wheel (04:12)

11. Sugaree [Alt Take] (07:13)

12. Loser [Alt Take] (04:06)

13. Late For Supper/Spidergawd/Eep Hour [Alt Take] (10:21)

14. The Wheel [Alt Take #1] (04:04)

15. The Wheel [Alt Take #2] (02:53)

16. Study for 'Eep Hour' (03:30)

17. Dealing from the bottom [Studio Jam] (01:25)

18. Study for 'The Wheel' (03:22)

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Fireballet - Night on Bald Mountain (1975)

Year: 1975 (CD ????)
Label: Setticlavio Records (Italy), SET 1007/A
Style: Rock, Progressive Rock
Country: North Jersey, U.S.
Time: 77:16
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 446 Mb

This is one of the gems from the USA progrock history. The band featured Jim Como (lead vocals, drums, percussion), Bryan Howe (Hammond - and pipe organ, celeste and vocals), Ryche Chlanda (electric - and acoustic guitars, electronic devices and vocals), Frak Petto (piano, electric piano, ARP 2600 synthesizer, Mellotron, electronic strings, Oberheim DS-2 digital sequencer and vocals) and Martyn Biling (bass, 12-string guitar, Moog Taurus bass pedals).
Their first album "Night on Bald Mountain" was released in '75 and produced by Ian McDonald (KING CRIMSON). It sounds like a very tasteful progrock stew with elements from GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT and YES. The very disappointing second LP ('76) is entitled "Two, two ... ", no surprise that it turned out to be their swansong.
The album debut-album "Night on Bald Mountain" from 1975 is a bit unknown beauty, other USA prog rock bands NETHERWORLD and LIFT got far more attention from the prog fans all over the world. The twelve compositions (including seven bonus tracks, "All Killers, No Fillers" would Greg Walker from Syn-Phonic say) contain alternating and captivating music with strong echoes from early GENESIS and also GENTLE GIANT and YES. But many twists and turns give the music an original approach, including exciting arrangements from classic composers (MUSSORGSKY and DEBUSSY). The singer sounds powerful and has a wide range, the 'vintage' keyboards are very lush with spectacular synthesizer solos and the guitar work has a beautiful, 24-carat symphonic tradition. Highlight on this splendid CD is the epic title track (almost 20 minutes): wonderful changes of climate, great breaks, impressive pipe organ (evoking "Close to the Edge" from YES) and beautiful HACKETT-like guitar work. Also worth mentioning is Ian McDonald's contribution to this album, he plays flute on two tracks and saxophone on two tracks, his sound is very distinctive. Highly recommended!
(progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=552)

01. Les Cathedrales (10:10)

02. Centurion (04:42)

03. The Fireballet (05:13)

04. Atmospheres (03:37)

05. Night on Bald Mountain (18:38)

06. Great Expectations (04:29)

07. Chinatown Boulevard (06:37)

08. It's About Time (06:11)

09. Desire (02:46)

10. Flash (04:04)

11. Carrolon (05:54)

12. Montagne En Fili Gree (04:50)

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Charlie Byrd - Byrd's Word! (Recorded 1958) (1962)

Year: 1958 (CD Aug 21, 2006)
Label: Riverside Records (Europe), 0025218705424
Style: Jazz
Country: Suffolk, Virginia, U.S. (September 16, 1925 - December 2, 1999)
Time: 41:30
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 265 Mb

Byrd's Word! is an early Charlie Byrd recording that finds the guitarist in a variety of settings. The idea seems to be showcasing Byrd with a number of friends, including valve trombonist Bobby Felder, tenor saxophonist Buck Hill, and pianist Tee Carson. Though there are really no bad cuts on the album, the content is so diverse -- acoustic trios, electric guitar with brass, and acoustic guitar with vocals -- that the album doesn't flow as a whole. "Byrd's Word" opens the album, with a big brassy sound, complete with Byrd cutting loose on electric guitar. On this cut, and even more so on "Bobby in Bassoonville," his electric guitar sounds derivative of Charlie Christian or Herb Ellis. The best material finds an acoustic Byrd already in his small combo niche, as on "Satin Doll," with bassist Keter Betts and drummer Eddlie Phyfe. On "Conversation Piece," Byrd and Betts perform an intimate, bluesy instrumental with lots of interplay. Two quiet cuts, "Blue Turning Grey Over You" and "Don't Explain," feature Ginny Byrd on vocals. These quiet songs, with her airy, pleasant vocals, backed only by Byrd's guitar, make for great listening. The variety of material and styles gives the impression that Byrd was experimenting, but even so, his experimentation was conservative. His electric playing looks back toward swing while his acoustic playing leans toward quieter ballads. The issue then is less about style than approach: To plug in or to not plug in, that is the question. Byrd's Word! may not be a great album, but it is certainly a good place to get a look at Byrd's early development.
(allmusic.com/album/byrds-word-mw0000105787?1659030660949)

01. Byrd's Word (05:31)

02. Blue Turning Grey Over You (02:55)

03. Bobby In Bassoonville (04:27)

04. Satin Doll (04:42)

05. Tri-X (04:32)

06. Conversation Piece (03:33)

07. What's New (04:15)

08. Stompin' At The Savoy (03:24)

09. Don't Explain (03:29)

10. Buck's Hill (04:36)

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Caravan - Live at the Fairfield Halls, 1974 (1974)

Year: 1974 (CD 2002)
Label: Decca Records (UK), 8829022
Style: Art Rock, Canterbury Rock
Country: Canterbury, Kent, England
Time: 79:56
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 520 Mb

If you would like to share Caravan lyrics with other users of this site, please see the bottom of this page on how to submit Caravan lyrics.
Members include Doug Boyle (joined c. 1996), guitar;Richard Coughlan(born September 2, 1947, in Herne Bay, Kent, England), drums;Jimmy Hastings, saxophone, flute, clarinet;Pye Hastings (born Julian Hastings, January 21, 1947, in Taminavoulin, Banffshire, Scotland; married Cathy Ross [a publicist] c. 1968; son, Julian), vocals, guitar; Jim Leverton (joined c. 1995), bass;Dek Messecar (bandmember c. 1977-81), bass, vocals; John G. Perry (bandmember c. 1973-74), bass; Geoffrey Richardson, (joined band c. 1972), viola, flute, guitar; Jan Schelhaas (bandmember c. 1975-78), keyboards; David Sinclair (born bd>November 24, 1947, in Herne Bay, Kent, England, left band c. 1971, bandmember c. 1973-75, rejoined band c. 1979), organ, piano; Richard Sinclair (born June 6, 1948, in Canterbury, England, left band c. 1973, rejoined c. 1981-93) bass, vocals; Mike Wedgwood (bandmember c. 1974-76), bass, vocals. Addresses: Record company--Cuneiform Records, P. O. Box 8427, Silver Springs, MD 20907.
Caravan is one of the flagship bands of "Canterbury" progressive rock, a quirky, intelligent branch of English pop music history which has built a devoted following over the past three decades. The music by Canterbury artists is influenced as much by church hymns as jazz, R&B, and British Invasion pop, lending it a very recognizable, distinctive sound.
Caravan formed in Canterbury, England during the late 1960s. Its origins lie with the local band The Wilde Flowers, formed in 1964 and featuring Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Hugh Hopper, future founders of The Soft Machine, and guitarist Richard Sinclair. When drummer and vocalist Wyatt wanted to concentrate on singing, Richard Coughlan joined as percussionist in 1965. Soon after, Ayers' friend Pye Hastings became second guitarist.
After surviving periodic turnovers in membership of The Wilde Flowers, the band suffered a major setback when Wyatt, Hopper, and Ayers quit to form the Soft Machine in late 1966. Pye Hastings became vocalist while Sinclair's cousin David joined as organist. Early in 1968, after several months of inactivity, the quartet renamed itself Caravan and began rehearsing and writing songs. Occasional live performances built a word-of-mouth following.
Caravan soon got new management and a recording deal with the better-established Decca Records. The title track to its second album If I Could Do It All Over Again I'd Do It All Over You was a minor British hit single, featuring a brief but brilliant organ solo, and Richard Sinclair was honing his songwriting chops as well as becoming a second lead vocalist. Richard explained the band's collaborative songwriting process to Melody Maker, "You could say Pye does most of the writing, but when he does something, we all put our ideas into it. Being good friends, we understand what he means."
The band followed with In The Land of Grey and Pink, balancing its ability to write extended, progressive suites as well as concise, witty pop songs. Unfortunately, at the band's creative and commercial peak, David Sinclair left to join Robert Wyatt's new band Matching Mole. He explained to Melody Maker, "I left Caravan ... because of musical stagnation. After three years of playing with the same band I felt the need to expand into other directions." Pianist Steve Miller and several horn players replaced David to give the band a jazzier sound. While the resulting album Waterloo Lily has its fine moments, it reflects the turmoil within the band and alienated a segment of Caravan's fans. Hastings recalled, "Caravan was beginning to lose the `Caravan feel.' With Steve we were getting more involved with the solos than the songs."
Unsatisfied with the band's new direction, Richard Sinclair left Caravan in 1973 to form Hatfield and The North with former Gong drummer Pip Pyle and Matching Mole guitarist Phil Miller. Matching Mole having disbanded, David Sinclair was persuaded to rejoin Caravan when Steve Miller left. Multi-instrumentalist Geoff Richardson was added to the fold for For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night, a return to form for the band. Because the album featured an orchestra to good effect on some songs, the band and producer David Hitchcock staged a concert in London with The New Symphonia Orchestra.
That performance, released as Caravan & The New Symphonia, was well received, although the band was disappointed with the results. In the liner notes to Canterbury Tales, Richardson reminisced, "The gig seemed a bit tense and over-organized. I felt really constrained since it was a performance and didn't have any spontaneity.
Cunning Stunts, from 1975, followed Caravan's first American tour. That album and its follow-up Blind Dog at St. Dunstan's featured a more pop-oriented approach. In late 1977, when the band's record label, Arista requested new material and several band members were unavailable due to other commitments, Hastings persuaded Richard Sinclair to rejoin the band. Over an album's worth of songs were recorded but remained unreleased for over a decade as Caravan was among several acts Arista culled that year, considered unprofitable.
The band was inactive for most of the eighties. The four original members of Caravan briefly reformed for an album, Back To Front, and several concerts. The quartet played live sporadically throughout the eighties and was featured in 1990 on a British television "Bedrock" special.
Throughout the nineties, Pye Hastings, when not working full time as a plant hire manager, has been leading Caravan for new studio recordings and live performances. Recently Caravan has released two albums, All Over You, a disappointing collection of re-recordings of classic material, and The Battle of Hastings, new songs that prove that the band is still a vital musical force. Richard Sinclair briefly led Caravan of Dreams, who recorded a fine album in 1991, before becoming a carpenter. He occasionally releases albums and plays concerts.
Richard Sinclair takes much pride in the town of Canterbury and the music that he had an active role in shaping. He was quoted in Facelift,: "I think it has got a particular sound.... We've sung it in our schools here... I was part of the C of E (Church of England) choir: up to the age of sixteen I was singing tonalities that are very English. Over the last three hundred years, four hundred years, maybe, and even earlier than that, some of the tonalities go back.... People say `what is the Canterbury scene?' I think you have to come to Canterbury and see and hear it."
(musicianguide.com/biographies/1608002219/Caravan.html) by Jim Powers

01. Memory Lain, Hugh / Headloss (09:27)

02. Virgin On The Ridiculous (07:14)

03. Be Alright / Chance Of A Lifetime (06:37)

04. The Love In Your Eyes (15:23)

05. L'Auberge Du Sanglier / A Hunting We Shall Go / Pengola / Backwards / A Hunti... (09:49)

06. The Dog, The Dog, He's At It Again (06:23)

07. For Richard (19:01)

08. Hoedown (05:58)

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Suzi Quatro - If You Knew Suzi [Vinyl Rip] (1978)

Year: December 1, 1978 (LP )
Label: Balkanton Records (Bulgaria), BTA 11048
Style: Glam Rock, Rock
Country: Detroit, Michigan, U.S. (June 3, 1950)
Time: 37:51
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 252 Mb

If You Knew Suzi... is the fifth regular studio album by Suzi Quatro, released at the end of 1978, but with a 1979 copyright date. By August 2012 this was still Quatro's highest-charting album in the United States (it peaked at number 37 on The Billboard 200). The album also yielded Quatro's biggest US single hit, a duet with Chris Norman named "Stumblin' In" (which reached number 4 in both The Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. It also had an advertising billboard on Sunset Boulevard.
The credits show the album to be a multinational production: tracks were recorded in Cologne (Germany), Paris (France), and Glendale (California). It was then mixed in California and mastered in London to be distributed by a company based in New York City.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Knew_Suzi...)

01. A1 Don't Change My Luck (03:41)

02. A2 Tired Of Waiting (03:30)

03. A3 Suicide (04:06)

04. A4 Evie (04:35)

05. A5 The Race Is On (04:01)

06. B1 If You Can't Give Me Love (03:53)

07. B2 Breakdown (03:25)

08. B3 Non-Citizen (03:19)

09. B4 Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo (03:25)

10. B5 Wiser Than You (03:52)

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Elton John - Madman Across The Water [Vinyl Rip] (1971)

Year: 5 November 1971 (LP 1971)
Label: DJM Records (UK), DJLPH.420
Style: Classic Rock, Piano Rock
Country: Pinner, Middlesex, England (25 March 1947)
Time: 45:24
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 242 Mb

Elton John’s music means a lot to me, and, as a result, I’m not overjoyed with this album. A record with a theme, it’s an account, sometimes photographic, sometimes emotional, all too often metaphorical, of Elton John in America — the madman across the water. As impressions, it’s brought out the worst in Bernie Taupin and forced Elton back on his melodic devices. These are sometimes powerful enough to make a song, but too often they’re not. I still like this album, but it’s just that the qualities that illuminated Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection for me have worn thin, and I’m forced to look past the magic and see a singer and a lyricist who are quite fallible.
The record begins well with “Tiny Dancer.” It has the delicate melody, virtuoso singing, and innovative arranging that have marked Elton John since “Your Song.” In fact, it sounds like “Your Song,” with maybe some other familiar melody and a few new touches like a pedal steel. But that’s OK; it may be the same song, but it’s a good song.
“Levon” stands out on the radio simply because any Elton John song would. But, here we begin to encounter a knotty problem that worsens as the album continues. i.e., what the hell is he talking about?
"Levon sells cartoon balloons in town
His family business thrives
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch watching them fly
And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus"
Leave Levon far behind … I’m no literal-minded dullard but when someone is being obscure, I like to get the feeling that they are grappling with something that’s hard to get to, not just playing with words. In many of Dylan’s songs the meaning was far from clear, but you could sense there was something there. And there were phrases that shone out even if the whole didn’t fall into place. I don’t get that feeling here. And, from listening to the first two albums, I know that the John/Taupin songs I liked best were those I understood. There was strength in those songs, even if they were elliptical. “Levon” sounds good, but I could listen to it for years and never know what it’s about. And it does make a difference.
With “Razor Face,” the situation improves even if I haven’t an idea of what that means either. It’s got the same sort of far-ranging singing and pounding piano that were used so well on Tumbleweed Connection, somewhat like “Amoreena.” Unfortunately, this is followed by the title cut, which is to me, also the weakest. “Madman Across The Water” pits Elton’s acrobatics against Paul Buck-master’s charging strings. But, again the lyrics trip him up. The song is superficially about madness, but is filled with so many obscure images that it’s only a good song if you don’t listen too hard.
Side two is a little less reaching. “Indian Sunset” is a story, with good evocative singing by Elton. The subject matter — the tragedy of the American Indian — almost overwhelms the song, but it manages to be moving. Then, alas, comes another piece of Americana called “Holiday Inn” and about the same: “And you ain’t see nothing/Until you’ve been in/A motel baby/Like the Holiday Inn.” I guess a banal subject deserves banal lyrics, but why bother? “Rotten Peaches” is good basic Elton with a good melody and a wall of sound that fills the room. If only I knew what rotten peaches had to do with the homesickness that seems to be the theme.
It isn’t until the short (1’48”) closing cut, that we get a glimpse of what Elton and Bernie were. “Goodbye” is a haunting, sad song with just Elton and piano and some appropriate strings. The melody sings and the words are poetry. It’s sad, but makes me all the sadder that there wasn’t more like this.
Madman won’t really crush any John fans, for he sings with the same power and brilliance he’s shown since he broke. But, it probably won’t draw any either. Madman is a difficult, sometimes impossibly dense record. America is worthy of a better story than this record and Elton John needs a better story than this to sing.
(rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/madman-across-the-water-100068/) By ALEC DUBRO; JANUARY 20, 1972 5:00AM ET

01. A1 Tiny Dancer (06:16)

02. A2 Levon (05:22)

03. A3 Razor Face (04:43)

04. A4 Madman Across the Water (05:59)

05. B1 Indian Sunset (06:48)

06. B2 Holiday Inn (04:18)

07. B3 Rotten Peaches (04:59)

08. B4 All the Nasties (05:09)

09. B5 Goodbye (01:46)

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