The Sun [2020 04 05]

The Warmth of the Sun is designed to serve as a companion piece to 2003's Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys, and as such, it is perfect. While that earlier volume contained most of the Beach Boys' biggest hits, the cornerstones of the catalog such as "I Get Around," "Surfer Girl," "California Girls," and "Fun, Fun, Fun," the follow-up is, in its own way, just as strong and just as enjoyable. In fact, while listening to it, a fan might wonder why the compilers in 2003 didn't just make Sounds of Summer a double album, include all of this material as well, and be done with it. Certainly, songs like "Catch a Wave," "409," "Surf's Up," "Wendy," and, of course, the title track are every bit as essential to a basic Beach Boys collection as any given track on the previous set. But The Warmth of the Sun not only stands tall by itself, some hardcore fans might prefer it, as some of the tunes on the first collection are so overexposed that there is little desire to ever hear them again. Gems included in this sequel, such as "You're So Good to Me," "Let Him Run Wild," "'Til I Die," "The Little Girl I Once Knew," and "Disney Girls (1957)" don't exactly have the high profile of "Help Me, Rhonda" or "Barbara Ann," but that's why it's so refreshing to listen to this set list: some of these great songs have been so neglected ("Friends," "Please Let Me Wonder," and "Kiss Me, Baby," for example) that they sound almost like lost hits in this context. Even the lack of material from Pet Sounds is a relief – while that album is indeed one of the greatest ever recorded by anyone, and while "Caroline, No" should have been included on one volume or the other (it's not), anyone who needs to experience the Pet Sounds material should just buy that album anyway. There are by now literally dozens of Beach Boys comps available in as many configurations, but The Warmth of the Sun is one of the most enjoyable pure listening experiences among them.

This two-CD collection is a companion volume to Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs (2004) and contains the Cactus (1970), One Way. . . Or Another (1971), Restrictions (1971) and 'Ot 'N' Sweaty (1972) LPs and associated extras. The initial aggregate was a supergroup of sorts, with both Carmine Appice (drums) and Tim Bogert (bass) having been the formidable rhythm section behind Vanilla Fudge, Rusty Day (vocals) hailing from the Amboy Dukes, and Jim McCarty (guitar) late of Mitch Ryder's backing ensemble the Detroit Wheels. Even though Cactus was overshadowed by Led Zeppelin, they created their own blues-based fusion, rivalling the likes of MC5 in terms of sheer sonic intensity. While their debut included fiery reworkings of Mose Allison's "Parchment Farm" and Willie Dixon's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover," some of the best material consists of the band's compositions. Among them are the ballad "My Lady From South of Detroit," the heavy rocker "Let Me Swim" and the languid bluesy "No Need to Worry." Barely Contained: The Studio Sessions (2004) also highlights three outtakes from the first album, an original thrasher titled "Sweet Little 16," as well as "The Sun Is Shining" and "Rumblin' Man." The latter originally surfaced on the single-disc Cactology: The Cactus (1996) compilation.

The Warmth of the Sun is designed to serve as a companion piece to 2003's Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys, and as such, it is perfect. While that earlier volume contained most of the Beach Boys' biggest hits, the cornerstones of the catalog such as "I Get Around," "Surfer Girl," "California Girls," and "Fun, Fun, Fun," the follow-up is, in its own way, just as strong and just as enjoyable. In fact, while listening to it, a fan might wonder why the compilers in 2003 didn't just make Sounds of Summer a double album, include all of this material as well, and be done with it. Certainly, songs like "Catch a Wave," "409," "Surf's Up," "Wendy," and, of course, the title track are every bit as essential to a basic Beach Boys collection as any given track on the previous set. But The Warmth of the Sun not only stands tall by itself, some hardcore fans might prefer it, as some of the tunes on the first collection are so overexposed that there is little desire to ever hear them again. Gems included in this sequel, such as "You're So Good to Me," "Let Him Run Wild," "'Til I Die," "The Little Girl I Once Knew," and "Disney Girls (1957)" don't exactly have the high profile of "Help Me, Rhonda" or "Barbara Ann," but that's why it's so refreshing to listen to this set list: some of these great songs have been so neglected ("Friends," "Please Let Me Wonder," and "Kiss Me, Baby," for example) that they sound almost like lost hits in this context. Even the lack of material from Pet Sounds is a relief – while that album is indeed one of the greatest ever recorded by anyone, and while "Caroline, No" should have been included on one volume or the other (it's not), anyone who needs to experience the Pet Sounds material should just buy that album anyway. There are by now literally dozens of Beach Boys comps available in as many configurations, but The Warmth of the Sun is one of the most enjoyable pure listening experiences among them.

Glaswegian psychedelic heavyweights Helicon are soon set to release their second album, the aptly- titled ‘This Can Only Lead to Chaos.’ Arriving January 24th via Fuzz Club, it follows on from their 2017 self-titled debut and a recent three-track ‘Zero Fucks’ EP, released earlier this year. A 9-track effort, it sees the band delve even deeper into their self-confessed “evil psych rock with smatterings of sentient sitar” - coming out of the other end with something more raw and heavy, and far closer to the all-consuming live show that they’ve spent the last decade frying minds with.

Hold on to your cold beers and denim-covered butts, ladies and gents because Trucker Diablo is back and they are back in grand style. Almost exactly a year after the band took an indefinite hiatus for personal reasons, the guys (minus bass-player Glenn Harrison who decided not to step on board again) have released the Pledge-funded masterpiece Rise Above The Noise. Did I say masterpiece? Well, I only said that because I mean it.

Surnommé les « Beatles américains », The Byrds n'a rien moins qu'inventé et annoncé trois des plus grands styles du rock : le folk rock avec « Mr. Tambourine Man » en 1965, le rock psychédélique de « Eight Miles High » en 1966 et le country rock de l'album Sweetheart of the Rodeo en 1968. Constitué de fortes individualités comme Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman et Gram Parsons, et peut-être un peu trop en avance sur son temps, le groupe de Los Angeles n'a jamais vraiment rencontré la reconaissance qu'il méritait après sa séparation en 1973.

Joan Baez is de meest talentvolle interpretatieve folkzangeres van de jaren 1960. Ze heeft een unieke sopraanstem, waarmee ze al sinds de jaren 50 een bijdrage levert aan de folk- en de popmuziek. Maar ze heeft ook een aantal politieke doelen gesteund. Baez verwierf haar eerste bekendheid tijdens het Newport Folk Festival van 1959. Ze tekende een contract bij Vanguard Records en in oktober 1960 bracht ze haar debuutalbum, ‘Joan Baez’, uit. Van 1962 tot 1964 was ze een populair gezicht in de wereld van de folkmuziek: ze was vaak de hoofdattractie op festivals en tournees en zong vaak tijdens politieke evenementen, waaronder de Mars op Washington in augustus 1963. Haar traditionele werk begon geleidelijk aan meer te neigen naar sociaal bewust werk.