John Moran

This oddball Philip Glass production, featuring Iggy Pop and hallucinogenic paraphrasing of Maharishi-era Beatles tracks, really is a more jolly and entertaining affair than you might expect from a Charles Manson-themed rock-opera. Some fantastic gems in here, and if you're a Beatles fan prepare to have the top of your skull blown off.

This classic 1972 album on Elektra by John Kongos has Queen/Cars director Roy Thomas Baker remixing superb production by Gus Dudgeon, the man who created many an Elton John hit. Elton sidemen Ray Cooper, Caleb Quaye, Dave Glover, Roger Pope, Sue (Glover) and Sunny (Leslie) – pretty much the crew from John's 1971 epic Madman Across the Water – are all excellent here. But this album has more to offer than the solo records by Kiki Dee and Bernie Taupin, which also proliferated around the same time. Though he never made it to Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits in the U.S.A., there were three minor splashes on this disc: "Tokoloshe Man," "Jubilee Cloud," and "He's Gonna Step on You Again." The totally original sound – producer Dudgeon on "asses jawbone," bicycle bell, maracas, and Mike Noble playing the "clapper board" – build a texture one didn't hear on Elton John records.

While it would be utterly foolish to consider a two-disc set by guitarist John McLaughlin as anything other than a sample of the wildly diverse career he's enjoyed since the early '60s, it should be noted and underscored that what Legacy does with this set is to provide a solid look at not only the man's gifts but at the way he's employed them, exploited them, and let them get the best of him for the past 40-plus years.

Pat Moran - The Pat Moran Quartet (1957) {2CD Set, Bethlehem 20-50022 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 384 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 216 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956-57, 1992 Bethlehem Music | 20-50022
Jazz / Bop / Standards / Piano

This double-CD reissues two Bethlehem albums by pianist/vocalist Pat Moran, plus a couple of "mystery" cuts not listed on the set. The music is certainly diverse, including boppish instrumentals by Moran and her trio (bassist John Doling and drummer John Whited), features for singer Beverly Kelly, and group vocals with singing by all four of the participants. The latter is the most dated, sounding a bit like the Four Freshmen style-wise, and is certainly an acquired taste. But since Moran only recorded three albums as a leader (the other was for Audio Fidelity) and there is some excellent straight-ahead playing on this set, the two-fer is of interest to jazz collectors.