Sal Valentino - Dreamin' Man - REPOST

Sal Valentino - Dreamin' Man - 2011

from Twirl Radio

Sal’s early fame came as vocalist for the 1960′s band The Beau Brummels with such top hits as “Laugh Laugh” and “Just A Little”. It’s been argued that the band defined the San Francisco sound. Certainly, they were out ahead of the pack–a little before the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead.

The 1970′s came, and Sal played in Stoneground, a great amalgam of funk and country rock, perhaps a precursor to the Doobie Brothers. And he’s had quite a respectable solo career. As one of my European listeners said, “Sal Valentino–one of the great voices of all time!”.

His most recent album, Dreamin’ Man, teams him up with long time collaborator John Blakeley. This is one fine album. It starts with the breezy opener “Love Song”, then transitions into determined mid-tempo rocker “Hwy 49″. Sal and John turn in a great Americana performance on rising Sacramento star Jackie Greene’s “Valley of Woe”. While Sal sings with conviction, John’s stellar acoustic picking drives this song forward with abandon. These two bad dudes will kick your rear with this song, and you’ll love it.

But make no mistake–this tends to be a rather romantic album, especially the second half. “Looking For You” is a fun rave up, and Sal is completely devoted to getting through to his woman, no matter what it takes, a la the Fabulous Thunderbirds in “Tuff Enuff”. The last four songs burrow deep into your heart, with their romanticism. “Dreamin’ Man”, the title track, is quite moody and haunting, but always listenable. “Catherine I Do” and “Lovin’ Fallin’” feature classy instrumental hooks and lyrics that grab you, work their way through your mind, and into that place in your soul reserved for love and sentiment. These melodies are sublime and exquisite. The album ends with the confessional “That Way”–what Sal is confessing is eternal love and devotion for his woman.

01. Love Song
02. HWY 49
03. Snowman
04. Valley of Woe
05. Weakness In Me
06. Lookin' for You
07. Dreamin' Man
08. Catherine I Do
09. Lovin' Fallen
10. That Way





+@192

Steve Marriott & Ronnie Lane: The Majic Mijits - Deluxe Edition

Steve Marriott & Ronnie Lane: The Majic Mijits - Deluxe Edition - 2014

The forgotten album recorded by half of the Small Faces Marriott & Lane in 1981  and shelved due to the fact that the pair could not undertake a world tour to support the album with Ronnies failing health the tapes lay gathering dust until we bought them off Steve's old manager Laurie O Leary ( who had a quite colourful past himself as an associate of London's notorious Kray Twins ). Fortunately the third member of the band Jim Leverton was happy to fill us in on what who where . It's a great album ! Plus a whole disc of unreleased outtakes restored and remastered in 2014.

CD 1
01. Lonely No More
02. Chicken
03. Toe Rag
04. Bombers Moon
05. Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl
06. Last Tango In Nato
07. How Does It Feel
08. That's The Way It Goes
09. You Spent It
10. Son Of Stanley Lane
11. Be The One
12. Ruby Jack
13. Whatcha Gonna Do About It (Live Bridge House)
14. My Girl (Live Bridge House)
15. All Or Nothing (Live Bridge House)

CD 2
01. Last Tango In Nato (Take 3)
02. Toe Rag (Take 2)
03. That's The Way It Goes (Take 1)
04. How Does It Feel (Take 2)
05. You Spent It (Take 2)
06. Bombers Moon (Take 3)
07. Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl (Take 2)
08. Ruby Jack (Take 1)
09. Lonely No More (Take 1)
10. Be The One (Take 1)
11. Beguine (Master)
12. Chicken (Take 1)
13. Last Tango In Nato (Take 1)
14. That's The Way It Goes (Take 2)
15. Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl (Take 1)

+@320

David Tronzo & Reeves Gabrels - Night in Amnesia

David Tronzo & Reeves Gabrels - Night in Amnesia - 1995

Between slide guru David Tronzo and ex-Tin Machine-ist Reeves Gabrels, a strange, juicy chemistry takes place here on Night In Amnesia. Experimentalists who also know how to party, they flit between instruments and genres, now with a tilting boogie, then veering toward abstraction.

All the music on this albums was composed spontaneously as it was being recorded. This was the first meeting between Reeves and Tronzo.

01. Bubba.
02. Ballad of a man long gone.
03. A night in Tunisia.
04. Amnesia.
05. Fitting end.
06. Dixie Cup.
07. Something is dead in the cellar.
08. Not gonna happen.
09. Two memories of the same event.
10. 3 cowboys.

Reeves Gabrels - Acoustic & Electric Guitar
David Tronzo - Guitar, Slide Guitar, Dobro
+
Bella, Ernie Ball - Strings
Matthew Gruenberg - Fretless Bass
Mike Levesque - Drums
Billy Conway, Jay Bellerose - Percussion


+@320

Ron Flynt And The Bluehearts - L.A. Story

Ron Flynt And The Bluehearts - L.A. Story - 2004

from AMG

Ron Flynt's second solo album is a concept work of sorts based around the story of his former band, 20/20, though the concept wouldn't be too obvious if you weren't alerted beforehand (or weren't familiar with 20/20). In fact, with his respectably tuneful, mature power pop style, Flynt here sounds more like a minor Elvis Costello than a Pete Townshend wrestling with his band's history à la Quadrophenia. Whether or not you pay attention to the nominal framework, the songs explore territory common to many such power pop bands with roots in both '60s rock and new wave: falling for and getting out of the clutches of seductive, dangerous women; chasing dreams; the superficiality of showbiz glitz; traveling a road to nowhere; and the redemptive power of love. However, there's a touch of resignation here, and acknowledgement that things don't always turn out as planned, that isn't found in the more ebullient work of younger power pop bands -- like, say, 20/20 at the outset of their career. Musically, there's nothing here that hasn't been done before by the likes of 20/20 and other such groups. But it's an accomplished statement in that style, and die-hard fans may appreciate the slight lyrical spin on the form.

01. Intro
02. Waiting
03. Hollywood Life
04. 3rd Street Girl
05. The Sun's Gonna Shine
06. Southern Belle
07. Mary's World
08. Hurting You
09. 1000 Different Places
10. I Suppose
11. Misery At The End
12. Looking Down
13. Heaven
14. Home In A While





+@192