The alphabetically-derived timing of this entry in my Sunday Soundtrack series couldn’t be more fortuitous, what with the imminent release of the biopic ‘Back to Black’ here in the States a month after it opened in the UK. I’ll see the flick no matter what, though thus far it’s received middling reviews.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 31
‘Roger Nichols & the Small Circle of Friends’ (January* ’68)
Ever since the year began and this chronological reexamination deepened almost bottomlessly, this enchanting obscurity has become my white whale, my new holy grail — which is my way of admitting that this photo is doctored.
We encountered this well-coiffured scion earlier in my fathoms-deep dive into the discography of the late great Christine McVie.
Billy Burnette — son of Dorsey, nephew of Johnny, heir to their rockabilly bona fides since he was a child star touring with Brenda Lee — first entered the Macverse back in ’83 as a creature in Mick Fleetwood’s Zoo. For the oft-overlooked detour ‘I’m Not Me’ (see previous post) he provided plenty of fretwork and sang four numbers: the title track, a Beach Boys obscurity, his dad’s ditty ‘Tear It Up’ and his own tune, ‘Gimme You.’
Given how many of Monsieur Malle’s films I truly cherish, not to mention the joy of watching then-newlywed actors Amy Madigan and Ed Harris work together, it’s a wonder I still haven’t seen ‘Alamo Bay’ after nearly four decades.
Twas inevitable that my alphabetically constrained series for #SoundtrackSunday would require addendums along the way. So when I came across two titles at DTLA’s treasure-filled Last Bookstore (@lastbookstorela) earlier this week, both in solid condition and at appealing prices (snagged ‘em for under $10 total), I didn’t hesitate to alter the trajectory while I’m still in the A’s. (This is the first of two such posts today.)
Revisiting A&M Records No. 30
Cat Stevens: ‘Matthew & Son’ (March ’67)
Cat Stevens: ‘New Masters’ (December ‘67)
Technically these first two assortments from the future Yusuf Islam don’t belong in this series. His platinum tenure within Mr. A & Mr. M’s haven didn’t begin until he finally found his sound on third album ‘Mona Bone Jakon’ three years later.
Like any lifelong Talking Heads fan, I was thrilled to see ‘Stop Making Sense’ return to theaters last year along with generous but expectedly awkward promo appearances from the permanently fractured group. I never saw the real thing live, missing what turned out to be their final tour in ’83, when I was 14 and only beginning to see shows.
This is an absurdly arranged bootleg compilation from 2019 that would require at least two more LPs to do justice to its misleading title. Yet it’s an almost essential addition if someone (like me) is attempting to acquire on vinyl every recording involving Christine McVie.
The problem is that most of the Many Faces presented in the set’s first half are relatively inconsequential when it comes to Fleetwood Mac’s lengthy list of lineups.
If you peek at my story from time to time, you might have noticed we had a family screening of this the other night; I shared clips from the breathtakingly beautiful ballet sequence, still so stunningly staged and shot 70-some years later. (I’ll always be convinced the finale is why it won the top Oscar over ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘A Place in the Sun.’)
Revisiting A&M Records No. 28
Herbie Mann: ‘Glory of Love’ (December ‘67)
I must not be jazzbo enough to understand why this very enjoyable one-off the groundbreaking flutist cut for Creed Taylor’s CTI subsidiary isn’t held in nearly as high regard as albums that came before and after it.
