They were one of the biggest bands in America and by the sounds of this album, they weren't going to do anything to jeopardize that. What's surprising is America didn't fall for all of the "Long Train Runnin'" sound alikes on Vices, they made deep cut "Black Water" (US#1) and the Chicago-by-way-of-Steely-Dan single "Another Park, Another Sunday" (US#32) the hits.
Produced by George Martin, the third album from those whimsical British melody makers, Stackridge, carries on where one of 1972's true nuggets, Friendliness, left off. It's like discovering XTC years before they existed. The band still tours.
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Former Fairport Conventioneer , Southern Comforter and Plainsinger Ian Matthews sounds comfortable on this California-set collection of mostly covers. David Lindley is in the house on Matthews's cover of Jesse Winchester's "Biloxi" and that's Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on the Tom Waits cover "Ol'55".
Well we know what side of the abortion debate these soft rockers stand on. I hate them for setting the standard for church rock. Seriously, every time I'm at a service and somebody pulls out a guitar I know I'm in for some lesser Seals And Crofts -styled proseltyzing . At least someone brought in a drum set for "King of Nothing".
Dense progressive jazz and oddly sung English lyrics are what you get from the Finnish group Wigwam .
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Legendary keyboardist Ahmad Jamal's Jamalca features soft jazz takes on recent soul hits by The Spinners, Sylvers and Marvin Gaye.
