that let's say, is partly inspired by Zane Lowe's "Masterpieces".
Obviously these wouldn't be called "Masterpieces" as such but
more a case of LPs that hold a special place in my heart.
They don't have to be 100 percent-ers in terms of every track being superb
but I would base them more on what they have to offer
and why I would get enthusiastic over such "rubbish".
Also, they shouldn't really be compared to examples such
as "Nervermind" or "Dark Side Of The Moon" as both those examples
are pretty much polished LPs for different reasons.
And I very much doubt that anyone would suggest that the first of my offerings
below would be better than Guns 'n' Roses "Appetite For Destruction" which
dates from around the time this was released.
It's LA smooth jazz/fusion act The Rippingtons and their 1990 release
"Welcome To The St James' Club".
Quite an unusual choice to start off with an entirely instrumental
album but I'll give it a good go.
For the benefit of those who don't want to read the nonsense below,
I've put together a short audio montage of the album highlights.
For those of you who want to know why I have such syrupy tastes in music
read on.
But answer yourself this, if you were forced to listen to either the
above album, or the Glee soundtrack what would you end up going for?
The Album Itself...
The first thing that's noticeable is the use of bright colours and the familiar cat mascot of the band, which is pretty much an indicator that
this is going to be a synth induced album.
Also worth mentioning is the GRP logo at the bottom right hand corner
spaced near the "Digital Master" label which could be found on all
of the record companies releases between around 1988-1992.
On a personal level and certainly in the last five years of getting finding
my musical comfort zone, any album with those labels on the front
cover is an instant indicator that it must be worth a listen.
The album opener which is the title track could instantly confuse
a non jazz fan into thinking it was the theme to Quantum Leap.
But putting that aside it contains some superb fifths
and key changes along with scat vocals from the late Carl Anderson who
by now was on of the artists on the GRP roster.
Other musicians include bandleader Russ Freeman on guitar and keyboards,
and Jeff Kashiwa on sax.
The synth bass and brass continue within tracks such as "Wednesday's Child"
and "Kenya" which manage to work because of the fantastic fifths
matched with the bouncing basslines.
A personal favourite has to be "Tropic Of Capricorn" which is
an upbeat dancer with superb piano, percussion and a guitar solo
which went onto become a popular one on the bands live performances
in the US.
And the album reaches a calming end but continues in providing
superb synth punctuations in offerings such as
"Soul Mates" and "Passion Fruit".
Why On Earth Do I Love It So Much?...
The album was released in August 1990 and was played quite a bit
on the old Jazz FM which was commonplace in our house due to Dad
having it tuned permanently.
I doubt it was his bag mind, with him being more into over-indulgent
John Coltrane sax solos that go on for hell knows how long.
I rediscovered the album in May 2005 months before starting University
as I wanted to get an idea of why I wanted to return to London
and this was one of many that reminded me more than anything of
the city, especially if the weather was really bright and warm.
Having said that, when I actually moved to University I drifted
away from the GRP material from this era and now I tend to associate
it more with being in Canterbury.
Overall it's the superb combination of chord structures and arrangements
that help to make the album work really well even if others will dismiss
it as departure lounge music.
And in terms of at least 90% of the tracks being accessible and dare I say it,
ticking the right boxes, "St James Club" manages to achieve doing so
where Russ and the band's previous and certainly subsequent albums
have failed.
I've put together a short audio montage of the album highlights.
For those of you who want to know why I have such syrupy tastes in music
read on.
But answer yourself this, if you were forced to listen to either the
above album, or the Glee soundtrack what would you end up going for?
The Album Itself...
The first thing that's noticeable is the use of bright colours and the familiar cat mascot of the band, which is pretty much an indicator that
this is going to be a synth induced album.
Also worth mentioning is the GRP logo at the bottom right hand corner
spaced near the "Digital Master" label which could be found on all
of the record companies releases between around 1988-1992.
On a personal level and certainly in the last five years of getting finding
my musical comfort zone, any album with those labels on the front
cover is an instant indicator that it must be worth a listen.
The album opener which is the title track could instantly confuse
a non jazz fan into thinking it was the theme to Quantum Leap.
But putting that aside it contains some superb fifths
and key changes along with scat vocals from the late Carl Anderson who
by now was on of the artists on the GRP roster.
Other musicians include bandleader Russ Freeman on guitar and keyboards,
and Jeff Kashiwa on sax.
The synth bass and brass continue within tracks such as "Wednesday's Child"
and "Kenya" which manage to work because of the fantastic fifths
matched with the bouncing basslines.
A personal favourite has to be "Tropic Of Capricorn" which is
an upbeat dancer with superb piano, percussion and a guitar solo
which went onto become a popular one on the bands live performances
in the US.
And the album reaches a calming end but continues in providing
superb synth punctuations in offerings such as
"Soul Mates" and "Passion Fruit".
Why On Earth Do I Love It So Much?...
The album was released in August 1990 and was played quite a bit
on the old Jazz FM which was commonplace in our house due to Dad
having it tuned permanently.
I doubt it was his bag mind, with him being more into over-indulgent
John Coltrane sax solos that go on for hell knows how long.
I rediscovered the album in May 2005 months before starting University
as I wanted to get an idea of why I wanted to return to London
and this was one of many that reminded me more than anything of
the city, especially if the weather was really bright and warm.
Having said that, when I actually moved to University I drifted
away from the GRP material from this era and now I tend to associate
it more with being in Canterbury.
Overall it's the superb combination of chord structures and arrangements
that help to make the album work really well even if others will dismiss
it as departure lounge music.
And in terms of at least 90% of the tracks being accessible and dare I say it,
ticking the right boxes, "St James Club" manages to achieve doing so
where Russ and the band's previous and certainly subsequent albums
have failed.
No comments:
Post a Comment