The Association:

Insight Out: (1967)

Greatest Hits: (1968)

Ornate 60's pop records are always interesting. That said, I don't hear too many mentioning the Association these days, and they were good purveyors of said ornate pop. Sure, some of it is a little heavy handed and pompous, but it's of its time. I feel the same way, forgive me, about Beach Boys stuff. But then there are tunes like Never My Love, and Along Come Mary which are just classic radio-ripped-ready-rollickers. Bones Howe, who's name I first learned through early Tom Waits records, produced Insight Out, which is a plus. The guy produced clean records. Members of the Association worked as session players around L.A., and some even played with Zappa before the Mothers were formed. As an extreme side note, I recall a story my high school band director told about taking his then girlfriend/now wife on a date to an Association concert, and when the people in front of them sparked a joint his date said, "That smells like the cigarettes my grandmother  used to smoke." Anyway, these are 60's relics that deserve a listen from time to time.

The Arcs:

Yours, Dreamily: (2015)

Dan Auerbach sounds a lot like Dan Auerbach, which I suppose it convenient since he does it well. This is a cool somewhat psychedelic bluesy affaire. A friend recently was saying that he hated that the Black Keys had started to make mainstream records. I replied that I don't think it's a case of them making mainstream records as it is a rare instance where the mainstream meandered beyond its banks to meet them. Which is awesome, especially if you're making records as groovy and cool as this.  

Louis Armstrong:

...and The Good Book: (1958)

Not enough good can be said about Louis Armstrong. He was a Master that's still leading the charge even though he's been dead for over forty years. Proof that if you do things to best of your ability, and at the top of your game, your memory cannot die. This album is a cool collection of hymns and spirituals in Satchmo's singular style. But, I'll tell ya, he could sing me the phonebook, and I'd be happy.

The Animals:

Best Of: (1973)

"Best of's" can be an interesting grab-bag of songs. Sometimes they stick to songs that bordered on hits, and others, like this album, contain B-sides, and deeper cuts. The Animals had some killer hits, It's My Life, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place, and the undying, House Of The Rising Sun. However on the other side of their coin you had a band that was extraordinary at bumping Jimmy Reed riffs up in tempo, and rocking 'em. In many ways they did it better than the Stones. However, I think the musical split between their pop sound, and their blues sound is something hindered them. I mean, the Stones made the decision to go all out with their own pop sound, and thusly gaining longevity. The Animals seem to always have been torn between the two, and this collection highlights that.

Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass:

Whipped Cream & Other Delights: (1965)

Going Places: (1965)

Sounds Like...: (1967)

Yes, I own, and enjoy these records. A friends of mine was recently disparaging bargain bin records that you can find by the truck load in any second hand store or trash pile, and mentioned Herb Alpert. But, for there to have been so many all over the place, somebody had to have been buying them. And they were. The "A" in A&M Records stood for Alpert. Not to mention, the work of the famed Wrecking Crew is all over these records, so the playing is superb. Whipped Cream & Other Delights has a cover that people still reference. But why do I like 'em? They make me smile. They seem so unpretentious and fun. Come on...play one...and I dare you not to smile. Come on, grab a drink, and play one, and try not to enjoy it...even if it's just a little.

The Allman Brothers Band:

At Fillmore East: (1971)

Unlike the Gregg Allman solo live record I was just talking about, this one is exciting from the moment you hear the MC announce, "OK, The Allman Brothers Band". Released just three months before Duane left this mortal shindig, this album captures a band at the hight of their collective powers. My love of the Allmans comes from my Dad, who saw them when they were Hour Glass, The Allman Joys, and numerous times as The Allman Bros. At that time in the South, they were the home team. I've heard this music more times in my life than I can count, and I still love it. In fact, I own two copies of this album just to never be without it. If you to explain the Allmans to someone who'd never heard them before, you might do well to just put on the 22 minute version of Whipping Post that occupies the fourth and final side of this album.

Eat A Peach: (1972)

Part studio album, part live album, all amazing. As a kid I got lost in the artwork, and music of this album. It is just captivating. This album would give the band some radio material to reach wider audiences in Melissa and Blue Sky, but the recording of it was plagued by heroin addiction, and death. Various members of the band underwent rehab stints, in fact, it was shortly after leaving rehab that Duane Allman had his infamous motorcycle crash that separate his spirit from his body. Finishing the album couldn't have been easy after that. The title comes from a Duane quote, "You can't help the revolution, because there's just evolution. Every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace."

Beginnings: (1973)

Released in '73 to jump on the momentum the Allmans had gained, this album was a reissue of their first two albums in different packaging. If ever you were just wanting to get your toe wet in this music, this might be the album to pick up. Please Call Home is a track that gets me every time. 

Brothers And Sisters: (1973)

Popularity growing, and troubles mounting the band rolls into Brothers And Sisters with a new approach by buying a farm where everyone could hang, regroup, and figure out where the music was going to go with it's driving force gone. Then another death, this time bassist Barry Oakley. Damn, this band was hit hard. It's around this album where Dicky Betts seems to step up to be a leader. I love the instrumental Jessica.

Wipe The Windows, Check The Oil, Dollar Gas: (1976)

The Dicky Betts version of the Allmans is in full swing on this live album that assembled various performances from their mid 70's run. There's some good playing here, but it always seemed to lack the magic spark.

Enlightened Rogues: (1979)

Not an album I listen to much at all. It feels kinda forced, and the production is overworked. Like, we're the Allmans, we better put a slide here, and drum break here. While the band would continue until 2014, they never quite attained the power they had with Duane and Barry. Not that any of their albums were terrible, they just lacked that spark.

Gregg Allman:

Laid Back: (1973)

Yes, I could've started this little section with the Allman Brothers Band, but this is how I'm doing this, so leave me alone. The debut solo album form Gregg Allman is...well, anything but laid back. Rich in slow brewing emotion. Before the Allman Bros. Band, back when they we're Hour Glass, record executives had tried to get Gregg to ditch his band, and go solo. Hell, a recording session for an Hour Glass album where they replaced almost the entire band nearly created a solo album for Gregg, but he walked away and it wouldn't be until 1973 that this album came along. Sure, he reworks some tunes he'd already recorded with the Allmans, but what reworkings they are, with string and horn arrangements that take the songs to a different place. This album also contains the cover of the Jackson Browne song These Days, and it was this version that Browne sited as unlocking the true power of the song. But, perhaps the biggest reason for this solo album was the death of a brother. Duane had passed in October 1971. Maybe that adds to the lonesomeness heard in Gregg's voice on this album, and leads to the album closer, Will The Circle Be Unbroken which would also serve as a show closer on the subsequent tour. Which leads us to...

The Gregg Allman Tour: (1974)

Taking the band Cowboy on the road for back up, Gregg launches a solo tour that would become his second solo album. This album is tight, but for me has never been the most exciting live album. Part of it was recorded at Carnegie Hall, and seems a little like people might have been sitting down for this show. Again, that's just how it's always felt to me. Great playing, and great songs. You know, part of it could have to do with the overly clean sedate recording techniques of the 70's. In any case, Gregg's voices is always killer.