Tag: 1960s
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Traffic, Traffic (Self-Titled), 1968 on United Artists / Island Records
Released in 1968 on Island in the UK and United Artists in the US, this was actually their sophomore album, following after Mr. Fantasy. Dave Mason had left the band after the debut album but returned for this record. Wonderful version of “Feelin’ Alright?” here if you only know the Joe Cocker version. My copy…
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Aaron Neville, Like It Is (reissued as Humdinger), 1967 on Minit
Although this was released in 1967 on Minit (and Liberty in the UK) as Like It Is, my copy is a 1986 reissue titled as Humdinger, on Stateside (a UK label designed to reissue things from smaller American labels). As John Broven’s sleeve notes (from 1986) put it: This album harks back to Aaron’s first…
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Ike Quebec, Easy Living, 1987 on Blue Note
Though this was first released / issued by Blue Note in 1987, it was actually recorded in 1962 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in New Jersey, and represents that early 60s jazz era. It was originally going to be issued as BST-84103 – but the tracks on side one did ultimately make it on Blue…
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Otis Redding, The Dock Of The Bay, 1968 on Volt.
This was the first posthumous release after Redding died in 1967, and his seventh studio album. It collected some singles, b-sides, and previously released tracks, including the title track “(Sittin’ On) The Doc of the Bay” which was cowritten by Steve Cropper and Redding. Also has a great version of “Nobody Knows You (When You’re…
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Nat King Cole, You’re My Everything, 1967 on Pickwick/33
Somehow this week has turned into posthumous collection week – this compilation was put out by Pickwick/33 in 1967 (Cole died in 1965), drawn from various Capitol Records releases. My copy is a Canadian pressing (see the “Made in Canada” on rim text on the label) via Beatnick Records in Montréal QC
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Joe Turner, Singing the Blues, 1967 on BluesWay / ABC
“Big” Joe Turner here with Buddy Lucas, Patti Bown, Wally Richardson, Thornel Schwartz, Bob Bushnell, Panama Francis, and Herbie Lovelle. This was his debut album on BluesWay though he was already ~30 years into his career. This then is Joe Turner with a voice a little more mellow than of yore, but still uniquely alive…
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Abbey Lincoln, Abbey is Blue, 1960 on Riverside
I first discovered Abbey Lincoln via Vinyl Me Please’s reissue of It’s Magic from 1958, in the VMP Classics Series. This album was a followup to that, her fourth full-length album and the third on Riverside. Musicians here include Stanley Turrentine, his broth Tommy Turrentine (on trumpet), Max Roach (to whom Lincoln was later married),…
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Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, Ella at Duke’s Place, 1966 on Verve
The album is divided between “The Pretty, The Lovely, The Tender, The Hold-Me-Close Side” and “The Finger-Snapping, Head-Shaking, Toe-Tapping, Go-For-Yourself Side.” Recorded by Val Valentin and produced by Norman Granz (those are his black & white photos), this is Verve at its mid-60s best. In addition to Ellington and Fitzgerald, personnel included Louis Bellson on…
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Joe Henderson, Mode for Joe, 1966 on Blue Note
This was Henderson’s fifth studio album (as a band leader), joined by: Lee Morgan (trumpet), Chris Fuller (trombone), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Cedar Walton (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Joe Chambers (drums). Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder. Really wonderful Blue Note 60s jazz. My copy is a 2024 reissue in the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series…
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Herbie Hancock, Empyrean Isles, 1964 on Blue Note
Early jazz Herbie Hancock – this was his fourth studio LP for Blue Note, backed by Freddie Hubbard on cornet, Ron Carter on bass, and Anthony Williams on drums. Recorded on June 17th, 1964 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. The most well known track here is “Cantaloupe Island” which became something…
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Sonny Boy Williamson, The Real Folk Blues, 1966 on Chess
This album was first released in the UK in 1965 as In Memorium, (Williamson died in May of 1965). In the US it was retitled to The Real Folk Blues and released in 1966. Later reissues have appeared with either title in different regions. This is one of my favorite blues albums of all time…
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Fleetwood Mac, The Pious Bird of Good Omen, 1969 on Blue Horizon
This is the earlier, Peter Green led, British Blues Fleetwood Mac, and collects their first four non-album UK singles and their B-Sides. It serves as a pretty good intro to what that first-stage Fleetwood Mac was all about. Eddie Boyd guests on “The Big Boat” and “Just the Blues” – and there are covers here…
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Ella Fitzgerald, The Harold Arlen Songbook, (originally) 1961 on Verve
I miss this trend from the 50s and 60s where great singers like Ella (as well as folks like Oscar Peterson) did “song books” of great composers. My copy of this one, with Ella doing the songs of Harold Arlen, is an 80s reissue of what originally came out in 1961, with 2 additional tracks…
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Bill Evans, Spring Leaves, 1976 on Milestone
2xLP release from 1976 which collects two previous Riverside releases: Portrait In Jazz (1960) and Explorations (1961). This one includes two takes on “Autumn Leaves” – one which appeared in Mono (Riverside 315) and one in Stereo (Riverside 1152). This also includes “The Boy Next Door” which was left off of Explorations originally. Milestone records…
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Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker, Timeless, 1968 on World Pacific Jazz
Originally released on Pacific Jazz in 1963, and then reissued as part of the Jazz Milestones Series by World Pacific Jazz in 1968, these are all recordings from 1952-1956. The first side includes Gerry Mulligan, whereas side 2 is Chet Baker with later incarnations of Baker’s bands. Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Radio Recorders, The…
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The Beatles, Revolver, 1966 on Parlophone / Capitol
Classic Beatles LP as they started shifting toward innovative studio techniques, took more drugs, and got more experimental – continuing the shift that started on Rubber Soul with tracks like “Tomorrow Never Knows”: Turn off you mind / relax and float downstream / it is not dying / it is not dying Artwork by Klaus…
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Various Artists, Newport Broadside: Topical Songs at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963; 1964 on Vanguard
The Newport Folk Festival for 2024 is coming up this week. This record collects performances from 61 years ago, by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Sam Hinton, Bob Davenport, The Freedom Singers, Jim Garland, Ed McCurdy, Phil Ochs, Peter La Farge, and Joan Baez. I love seeing the folks we now recognize as giants…
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Lou Rawls, Come On In, Mister Blues, 1969 on Pickwick/33
One has to be careful about some of these discount releases on Pickwick/33 – they were a discount label for a reason, offering cheap compilations of previously released material – but this one is really fantastic. Lou Rawls passed in 2006 and he put out over 70 albums, so there’s a lot to collect, especially…