Great Rock Albums of 1983: Doc Holliday- Modern Medicine

 

Here's another reason why I was glad that I spent my final three months in the marines down south. Nantucket headlined the Mayfair Festival that great day in May, 1983 and were fantastic but the band on right before them was just as good. On that day, Doc Holliday reinforced what I have always loved and continue to love about Southern Rock. If I hadn't been there, I would have missed them because like I said previously, many people up North had moved on from Southern Rock in 1983. That is why my only album experience of Doc Holliday to this day was their 1983 "Modern Medicine" album.

The band being from Atlanta, Georgia, their album has all the trademarks of all things good about Southern Rock but that doesn't stop Doc Holliday from putting their own personal stamp on things. All of the above is evidenced in the very first song on the album, "City Nights." The keyboard at the beginning rams home the 'these guys are a bit different' feeling before quickly going into more harder southern boogie guitar work complimented by typical Southern lyrics about partying and getting drunk. "City Nights" sets the rest of the album perfectly.

Other songs go a bit harder after that for most of the songs. "Rock City," "Hell to Pay," "Gimme Some" and "No Relation to Love" are all hard rocking scorchers. But if you are looking for ballads, then "You Don't Have to Cry" fills that bill very nicely. It's a good Southern love song with some rather impressive guitar work. It provides a kind of break in the action between all the harder songs mentioned above so it's not out of place. "You Turn Me On" sounds almost like a 1970s funk tune but Doc Holliday pull it off perfectly. It is my conclusion that those damn Yankees up North shouldn't have been so quick to abandon Southern Rock because many of them missed out on one hell of a band.

Track Listing:

1. City Nights
2. Dreamin'
3. Gimme Some
4. You Don't Have to Cry
5. Rock City
6. Hell to Pay
7. No Relation to Love
8. You Turn Me On
9. We're Not Alone
10. You Like to Rock

[caption id="attachment_3110" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Doc Holliday[/caption]

Ric Skelton- guitar

Bruce Brookshire- lead vocals, lead and slide guitar, synths

Eddie Stone- synths, piano, backing vocals

John Samuelson- bass, backing vocals

Herman Nixon- drums

Thank God that in 1983 I got to go to the Mayfair Festival and witness this band. If I hadn't, I would not have experienced the "Modern Medicine" album because Doc Holliday's fame never spread to New Jersey. That is a shame but at least I got to hear them and can tell you how great they were and hopefully, you will give them a listen on Youtube.

Next post: Blackfoot- Sirrocco

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Nantucket- No Direction Home

 

One thing I am grateful for as I reflect back on 1983 was the fact that I got to spend my remaining three months in the marines in North Carolina. If I hadn't, I might have missed out on some great stuff from a few of the great Southern Rock bands that were around at the time, Nantucket being one of them. By 1983, Southern Rock was once again contained to the South. Many people from the North had moved on from listening to what for me was a great sub-genre of rock. In the case of Nantucket, it was most unfortunate, because the world didn't get to hear what a great band they were.

Memories came flooding back as soon as I listened to the album, "No Direction Home," after so many years. I remember the single, "Hiding From Love," which was written by Bryan Adams getting a good amount of airplay on the local station in North Carolina. While Bryan's influence can be heard on the song, Nantucket certainly make the song their own, adding that Southern boogie vibe that all great Southern Rock bands are known for.

A criticism that was being aimed at Southern bands in the mid- 1980s was they were abandoning their roots to sound more mainstream. There is some sign of this with "No Direction Home," with the fore-mentioned single and the cover of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar." Saying that, Nantucket still stamp their authority on both songs and that's where any thoughts of mainstream ends. That point is made crystal clear with the hard rocking opener. The second song, "I Don't Want to Lose You" is more of a blues based song and it's done very well. Following the two songs already mentioned that they didn't write, there are some steaming rockers, "Morning, Noon and Night" and "Ready For Your Love" before slowing down to the ballad "Come Home Darling." That is as good a power ballad as any. The album finishes on a very high note with three more rockers with the closer, "Tennessee Whiskey," being everything you've always loved about Southern Rock. A massive heart pumping rocker about a favourite Southern past-time, drinking whiskey.

Another disservice to Nantucket is the lack or respect to the guitarists, Tommy Redd and Mark Downing. These two deserve to being mentioned among the great names of Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Rick Medlocke, Duane Rowlands and Dave Hlubeck. They're that good! Nantucket offer a unique feature as well in the form of saxophonist Eddie Blair. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's as good as Clarence Clemmons of Bruce Springsteen fame. In evidence, I ask you to listen to "Girl I Got Your Number."

Track Listing:

1. No Direction Home
2. I Don't Want To Lose You
3. Hiding From Love
4. Ain't That Peculiar
5. Morning, Noon and Night
6. Ready For Your Love
7. Come Home Darling
8. Never Felt This Way Before
9. Girl I Got Your Number
10. Tennessee Whiskey

[caption id="attachment_1322" align="aligncenter" width="472"] Nantucket[/caption]

Gary Uzzell- lead and backing vocals

Tommy Redd- guitar, backing vocals

Eddie Blair- keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals

Mark Downing- guitar

Richard Gates- drums

David 'Thumbs' Johnson- bass, backing vocals

I had the fortune of seeing Nantucket live two months before I left the service on tour supporting the "No Direction Home" album. (The above photo wasn't taken at that concert). They headlined a local festival called the Mayfair and I remembered they were brilliant, though I wish I wasn't so partied out by the time they hit the stage. While they were great in the South, I still think they were cheated out of their chance to gain wider attention.

Next post: Doc Holliday- Modern Medicine

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Thomas Dolby- The Golden Age of the Wirless

 

In many musical circles, Thomas Dolby is considered a one hit wonder, only known for his classic song, "She Blinded Me With Science." Me personally, I've always liked that song, always having loved humour in music and there is plenty of it to be found in "She Blinded Me With Science." What I loved best is the background voices that hilariously repeat the title or just say, "Science!" Furthermore, the keyboards in it are played very well. However, for those of us who take our music slightly more seriously, Thomas Dolby is not a one hit wonder. As I reflect back to 1983, I think that he represented the crossroads between progressive rock and the synth pop that made up much of the 1980s. I also know that I wasn't the only metalhead who liked Thomas Dolby, so for any of my metal brethren out there, don't be afraid to step forward and admit it. There's nothing to be ashamed about.

The trademark keyboards that I mentioned on the hit single can be found throughout the entire album. Some of the tracks are quite trippy bordering on space rock. "Weightless" and "Windpower" are two of these. I could easily listen to both of those songs along with Hawkwind or a Paul Kantner solo album and they wouldn't be out of place. Dolby's vocals add to the trippy feeling. He doesn't try to make any of these songs sound commercial, barring "She Blinded Me With Science" but it's the humour that makes that song for me. "Commercial Breakup" goes more in a traditional progressive rock direction while at the same time having a reggae feel to it, nicely done. What Dolby does on "The Golden Age of the Wireless" is employ the modern technology of the time into his music but he does so without compromising any of his musical integrity.

Track Listing:

1. She Blinded Me With Science
2. Radio Waves
3. Airwaves
4. Flying North
5. Weightless
6. Europa and the Pirate Twins
7. Windpower
8. Commercial Breakup
9. One of Our Submarines
10. Cloudburst at Shingle Street

 

[caption id="attachment_3093" align="aligncenter" width="209"] Thomas Dolby[/caption]

Thomas Dolby- vocals, synthesizers, wave computer, piano, kalimba, monk voice

Kevin Armstrong- guitar, backing vocals

Dave Birch- guitar, monk voice

Bosco- percussion

Mark Heyward Chaplin- bass

Justin Hildreth- drums

Simon House, Tim Kerr- violin

Simon Lloyd- leadline brass, flute

Daniel Miller- synthesizer

Andy Partridge- harmonica, percussion

Dr Magnus Pike- voiceover

Matthew Seligman- moog bass

Further backing vocals provided by: James Allen, Les Chappel, Judy Evans, Lesley Fairbairn, Mutt Lange, Lene Lovich, Miriam Stockley, Brian Woolley, Akiko Yano

I should have included "One of Our Submarines" in with the songs that stand out for me since it does. My conclusion here is what I have always thought all these years. Thomas Dolby was not a one hit wonder but a very underrated musician. Although many of them might not admit it, I think many of the synth pop bands that came after him would site him as an influence. For me, he was more than synth pop or a one hit wonder.

Next post: Nantucket- No Direction Home

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Billy Idol

 

I didn't think I was ever going to post about this album. Twice it was up for next post but other things beyond my control meant that I needed to post about other albums. At least because of the delay, no one either picked up on my mistake or was too diplomatic to bust my chops over it. When I first announced that the 1983 album from "Billy Idol" was going to be visited, I put the album down as "White Wedding." Ah, duh, I should have known better. The album is actually self titled with "White Wedding" being the song Billy is best known for. My mistake now takes away any right of mine to bust those who call Boston's classic self titled album, "More Than a Feeling." Okay, I now will stop feeling dumb.

"White Wedding" was the song that got my attention. When I first heard the song in May of 1983, I thought this song was really cool. There was that catchy riff with the guitar that made the song for me. Unfortunately, I can't recreate it in print but those who've heard the song will know what I am talking about. I also liked this punk image, which was something the Marine Corps really hated and with less than two months to go in my enlistment, it was one way I could stick the finger up at them.

The already mentioned song turned my head to Idol but I have to say that I was and still am rather impressed with the debut album. "Hot in the City" is the other single and its not bad but I much prefer "White Wedding," although both songs show that he does have a rather unique voice. Oh yes and I apologise for going off track for a moment but the version of this album I am speaking about is the 1983 re-issue and not the 1982 version. The reason why is so I can include the additional track on the album, which was released as a single later that year, "Dancing With Myself." I do like that song too.

"Billy Idol" is a good hard rock album and it's no surprise that, with his image, so many people branded it punk. I don't give a flying fart (I'm going to use that expression a lot now because it impressed mikeledano) if it is punk, it's a good album. Other tracks that definitely impressed me are "Dead on Arrival" and "Hole in the Wall" and "Nobody's Business" is pretty good too.

Track Listing

1. Come On, Come On
2. White Wedding
3. Hot in the City
4. Dead on Arrival
5. Nobody's Business
6. Love Calling
7. Hole in the Wall
8. Shooting Stars
9. It's So Cruel
10. Congo Man
11. Dancing With Myself

[caption id="attachment_3089" align="aligncenter" width="194"] Billy Idol[/caption]

Billy Idol- vocals, guitar

Steve Stevens- guitar

Phil Feit- bass

Steve Missal- drums

In 1983, Billy Idol gave me the different thing I was looking for because with only a few weeks left in the service, I was looking forward to becoming an individual again. This album helped provide that for me.

Next post: Thomas Dolby- The Golden Age of the Wireless

To buy Rock And Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Rock Albums of 1983: Paul Kantner- Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra

 

It figures that my weird mind would notice that Paul Kantner's very recent passing would occur right when I was going through the music history of 1983, the year his solo album was released. I was going to visit his album "Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra" further along down the road as it didn't come to light until near the end of said year. Actually, I remember the opening title cut getting some airplay on radio back then. Mind you commercial radio didn't completely suck in 1983. Like I said last post, I always preferred the songs Kantner penned on Jefferson Starship albums, so it was a no brainer that I would get this one.

What I never knew was that this album was written to be a soundtrack for Paul's second novel "The Empire Blows Back," which was a sequel to his first "Blows Against the Empire." Listening to the album again, I can see how it fits. "Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra" or PERRO for short is a mixture of hard, progressive and space rock and it's nicely done. Many of the musicians who appear on the album were current or former members of Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane. Grace Slick does lead vocals on two songs and backing on many of the others. Furthermore, Craig Chaquico works his guitar magic as does Pete Sears with the keyboards, just like all three of them do on Jefferson Starship albums.

The album starts out in a fine hard rock form with the first three songs. The title cut opens things very well and I'm very impressed with track 2, "(She is a) Telepath." "Circle of Fire" was originally meant for the "Winds of Change" but it fits very well here. The next few tracks go very spacey and I think that possibly when these tracks are listened to, maybe one should partake of the same substances they would if listening to a Pink Floyd album. "The Mountain Song" combines both hard and space rock and to me has the typical trademark of a Kantner song. I have since learned that Paul co wrote it with Jerry Garcia so that may explain a lot. Then , out of the blue comes the very amusing track, "Declaration of Independence." Sung by Paul and Grace's daughter China Wing Kantner, the song is almost country with Paul playing along on the banjo, a very amusing song to say the least. China, who was only 12 at the time, provides the perfect vocals for it sounding like a little girl. The last two songs end things very well, especially the closer, "Let's Go." I remember once when listening to the track "I Came Back from the Jaws of the Dragon" off Starship's "Winds of Change" album, my ex wife commented that it sounded like Godspell. Yes, Paul had a thing for harmonies in that style on many of the songs but on "Let's Go," it concludes the album in masterful form.

Track Listing:

1. Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra
2. (She Is a) Telepath
3. Circle of Fire
4. Mount Shasta
5. Lilith's Song
6. Transubstantiation
7. The Mountain Song
8. Declaration of Independence
9. Underground (The Laboratories)
10. The Sky's No Limit
11. Let's Go

[caption id="attachment_1600" align="aligncenter" width="178"] Paul Kantner- Jefferson Starship[/caption]

Paul Kantner- vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica, synthesizers, lead guitar on "Underground"

Grace Slick- vocals, piano on "The Mountain Song" and "The Sky is No Limit"

Jack Casady- bass

Chiam Wing Kantner- vocals on "Declaration of Independence" and "The Sky Is No Limit"

Alexander Kantner- vocals on "Underground"

Craig Chaquico- lead guitar

Pete Sears- piano

Aynsley Dunbar- drums

Scott Matthews- guitar, harmonica, synthesizers, pedal steel guitar and Linn drums

Ron Nagle- piano and vocals on Transubstantiation

Ronnie Montrose- lead guitar on (She is a) Telepath

Flo & Eddie- vocals

Mickey Thomas- vocals on Circle of Fire

David Freiberg- synthesizers and vocals on Circle of Fire

The problem with "Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra" was that it wasn't mainstream enough. That's why it go only limited airplay on radio. Even if it didn't I believe that I would have eventually discovered it and bought it anyway. This is a cool album and I think it would be only fitting to honour Paul Kantner by listening to it.

Next post: (Hopefully) Billy Idol

To buy Rock And Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com