Sammy Hagar Wide Open Spaces

Although probably best known for his affiliation with Van Halen from the mid-'80s through the mid-'90s, Sammy Hagar was of course a solo artist beforehand, churning out quite a few so-so releases for Capitol, before jumping ship to Geffen and scoring the biggest hits of his career. As a result, the Sammy Hagar edition of Capitol's ongoing Classic Masters series is a bit of a misleading title, as there's no "I Can't Drive 55" or "Three Lock Box" anywhere to be found here. What you do get is a thorough overview of Hagar's solo career from early on, including such Hagar trademark hard rockers as "Red," "Trans Am," and "Bad Reputation," plus a few laid-back tracks – a bluesy cover of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and "You Make Me Crazy."

Although probably best known for his affiliation with Van Halen from the mid-'80s through the mid-'90s, Sammy Hagar was of course a solo artist beforehand, churning out quite a few so-so releases for Capitol, before jumping ship to Geffen and scoring the biggest hits of his career. As a result, the Sammy Hagar edition of Capitol's ongoing Classic Masters series is a bit of a misleading title, as there's no "I Can't Drive 55" or "Three Lock Box" anywhere to be found here. What you do get is a thorough overview of Hagar's solo career from early on, including such Hagar trademark hard rockers as "Red," "Trans Am," and "Bad Reputation," plus a few laid-back tracks – a bluesy cover of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" and "You Make Me Crazy."

VOA was the last album Sammy Hagar recorded before he became the lead singer of Van Halen, and this effort shows why he was invited to join the band. With songs like "I Can't Drive 55," he adds a simple melody to the song which never distracts from the all-important, hard-driving riff. On "Two Sides of Love," he shows that he has the ability to pull off a power ballad, wrenching every bit of feeling out of the song. Like Hagar himself, VOA is never subtle, but in hard rock, that's a positive attribute.

VOA was the last album Sammy Hagar recorded before he became the lead singer of Van Halen, and this effort shows why he was invited to join the band. With songs like "I Can't Drive 55," he adds a simple melody to the song which never distracts from the all-important, hard-driving riff. On "Two Sides of Love," he shows that he has the ability to pull off a power ballad, wrenching every bit of feeling out of the song. Like Hagar himself, VOA is never subtle, but in hard rock, that's a positive attribute.

For this live concert recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, a mostly all-star group of Texas jazzmen (plus pianist Ellis Marsalis from New Orleans) was gathered together. The music, which includes four blues and three standards among its nine selections, lacks any real surprises. Most of the numbers have solos by Fathead Newman on alto, James Clay's tenor, veteran baritonist Leroy Cooper, the lesser-known trumpeter Dennis Dotson and guitarist Cornell Dupree or Marsalis. In addition, the pianist gets a pair of solo features, and Newman is also heard on tenor and flute. Strangely enough, Fathead never gets around to dueling with Clay. Some better planning and the utilization of a few charts (rather than the funcitonal frameworks) would have elevated the pleasing date to a much higher level.

James Clay & David "Fathead" Newman - The Sound Of The Wide Open Spaces (1960) {Riverside OJCCD-1075-2 rel 2002}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 280 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2002 Riverside Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1075-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Saxophone

James Clay's debut album as a leader (and one of only two that he cut before moving back to Dallas for nearly 30 years) matches him with fellow Texas tenor David "Fathead" Newman, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Art Taylor. Cannonball Adderley supervised the session, putting the spotlight on the competitive horns who really battle it out on the Babs Gonzales blues "Wide Open Spaces." Clay, who plays flute on the date's lone standard "What's New," holds his own with Newman and plenty of sparks fly.

For this live concert recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, a mostly all-star group of Texas jazzmen (plus pianist Ellis Marsalis from New Orleans) was gathered together. The music, which includes four blues and three standards among its nine selections, lacks any real surprises. Most of the numbers have solos by Fathead Newman on alto, James Clay's tenor, veteran baritonist Leroy Cooper, the lesser-known trumpeter Dennis Dotson and guitarist Cornell Dupree or Marsalis. In addition, the pianist gets a pair of solo features, and Newman is also heard on tenor and flute. Strangely enough, Fathead never gets around to dueling with Clay. Some better planning and the utilization of a few charts (rather than the funcitonal frameworks) would have elevated the pleasing date to a much higher level.