Still busy, but still discovering...

Ugh...for every single goal I reach there's another challenge beyond that. Hopefully that explains my busyness. Other then that, I've still been on the prowl and here's what I've been listening to recently.

Big Star "#1 Record" (1972)
Once again, I had this album just sitting around in my library. It's been there since I received an external hard drive (500gb, good enough for now) as a Christmas gift and started to go deeper in my "music hunts". What sparked it all happened a couple weeks ago. While I was watching the movie, "Adventureland" (2009), I noticed Big Star's second album, "Radio City" (1974) was neatly placed in the background of the main female character's house (played by Kristen Stewart). Driving home from my girlfriend's house the following day I decided to throw on their debut album, and I was impressed. Each song sounds excellent, and you could hear the passion both Chilton and Bell (the songwriting brain trust for the band) had laid down in the studio. This led the duo to craft an incredibly tight 1970s pop rock album.
Strong Tracks: "In the Street" (a much better version than Ian Stewart's HANDS DOWN), "Don't Lie to Me" (a great hard rocker of a track), "My Life is Right" (another rocker, but on the mellow side), and a well written pair of "redemption songs" with "Give Me Another Chance" and "Try Again". Granted, all the songs on this album are great (barring the rather forgettable "The India Song", which was too much fluffy 1960s psychadelaic pop for this guy), and it makes me wonder what keeps me from getting around to great music like this.
Great for: Joyrides on the back roads of Amish country on days with awesome weather.

Eddie Hazel "Game, Dames, and Guitar Thangs" (1977)
Long ago I heard the jaw dropping, sprawling, 10 minute guitar solo called "Maggot Brain" laid down by the great Parliment/Funkadelic guitarist, Eddie Hazel. After that, he always held a spot in my mind for being one of my favorite guitarists. Surfing the iTunes store last week, I ran into this short gem. Only clocking in a little over 30 minutes, Eddie Hazel pulls out all the stops and puts his guitar skills on display. It's like a dissertation written by a professor of the funk element. Strong, heavy funk laden tracks, slowburning guitar solos (nearly every song), with trace elements of; pop rock {"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"}, reggae {"So Goes the Story"}, California based folk rock {"California Dreamin' "}, and jazz fusion {"What About It?"}. Not a single poor performer on this disk. It's just a shame that this was Eddie's only serious effort laid down on wax close to his prime. Granted, he's always on display on the more mainstream George Clinton fronted efforts, but it would have been interesting to hear him play his side of himself out. Maybe this album is all he felt like crafting, or it could be all he was able to come up with.
Strong Tracks: All six of them. A really tight six pack of incredibly performed songs.
Great for: Unwinding after a long, long work day.

Cactus "Cactus" (1970)
There's not much to explain about this one. Straight forward boogie rock with the emphasis on loud. Each member adds their own version of loud'n'fast to the band and you get this hard rocking juggernaut. From Rusty Day's passionate howling vocals, to Jim McCarty's rowdy guitar solo's, to Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogart (bass) pounding away with their trademark booming rhythm combo this is the total 1970's rock package. Released in 1970, these guys knew how to kick off the decade. Oh, and they were no slouchs either when it came to solo performance giving each member of the band at least a song to showcase their own chops.
Strong tracks: All of them, but here's the true highlights I picked up;"Parchmen Farm" comes out with all guns a blazin' throwing down the band's chops right away. Probably my favorite cover version of the song. "You Can't Judge a Book by Lookin' at it's Cover", yet another rocker in the boogie rock vein that really keeps the tempo moving. "Oleo", another pounding song showcasing Tim Bogart's bass skills with a minute and a half bass guitar solo. "Feel So Good", more boogie but this time Carmine Appice takes the solo spot with a thunderously sloppy drum solo.
Great for: Hanging out, grilling steaks, and drinking a few beers with your friends.



Parting shot:
I've found a whole lot more, but I've only got so much time in the day.