There are quite a few novel characteristics about The Small Faces 1968 release Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake, the latest of which happens to be its induction into Frumpzilla's F-Tunes Hall of Fame...

You like novelty?  Well, not withstanding the album's 8-panel circular packaging (the first of its kind), depending on how one defines The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake may hold the distinction of being the first example of a true concept album.  Unfortunately for The Small Faces, they never really managed to establish a foothold in America, though they did enjoy a fairly significant hit with 1967's "Itchycoo Park" (the first British record to use the "Flanger" effect).  As such their legacy on this side of the pond is probably closer to that of a "One Hit Wonder".

In UK their impact runs much deeper, however.  From 1965-1969 The Small Faces were regular Top 10ers in the British charts, even managing to knock The Beatle's off the #1 spot on one occasion.  They're regularly cited as one of the major influences behind the 90's Brit Pop surge. 

Still, despite being at the apex of England's Mod movement, for much of their career they struggled mightily to shake their Pop image, a pursuit that would eventually lead to the group's demise; Steve Marriott going on to form Humble Pie with Peter Frampton, and the rest of the lineup joining up with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood as The Faces.  1968's Ogdens' is a testament to said struggle, seeing the band plunge directly into heavier sounds and arrangements, as well as the psychedelia they'd only hinted at before.

That's not to say that Ogdens' abandons all pop elements, as they're clearly present.  The first half of the album consists of 6 solid power pop/rock numbers, the title track opener actually being an instrumental reworking of the group's first originally penned single, "I've Got Mine" (it also happens to be my all-time favorite ring tone).  "Rene" and "Lazy Sunday", the latter a #2 hit in the UK despite the band not wishing the song to be released, deliberately apply a played up cockney feel that may require a slight case of Anglophilia to truly appreciate, but are worth the effort nonetheless.  "Afterglow" and "Song of a Baker" stand out as two of the band's, relatively edgier, all-time classic efforts.

The 2nd side of Ogdens' is where the "concept" actually begins.  With narrated interludes by British comedian and gibberish extradordinaire Stanley Unwin, the band musically chronicles the journey of Happiness Stan and his search for the missing half of the moon.  Needless to say, it's a trip, and may be best taken in while LUI, or perhaps LWI depending on your state, but that's your call.  I won't spoil the details for you. 

Just remember that life is just a bowl of All-Bran, and be sure to keep an ear out for a special guest appearance by a legendary Hendrix riff the band specifically asked to use.  Jimi, like me, was apparently a big Small Faces fan.

Track Listing

1. Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
2. Afterglow
3. Long Agos and Worlds Apart
4. Rene
5. Song of a Baker
6. Lazy Sunday
7. Happiness Stan
8. Rollin' Over
9. The Hungry Intruder
10. The Journey
11. Mad John
12. Happy Days Toy Town

Ratings

Saturation: 8.75
Sonic Upholstery: 8.5
I&I: 8.25
Overall: 8.5

You should have this on the rack...

Buy the CD at Amazon

Download the MP3 Album at Amazon

Download "Afterglow" at Amazon

Download "Song of a Baker" at Amazon

Download "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake" (title track) at Amazon

Hadn't broken out this gem in quite some time.  I remember thinking it was great the first time I heard it.  Listened to it almost exclusively for a month or two as I recall.  Not much has changed.  It may even sound better now, and I suspect it'll be back in the rotation for awhile...

Cotton Mather was formed in Austin, Texas back in the early 90's, but there'd be no shame in mistaking them for some relatively obscure Indie Power Pop band from Merseyside.  In fact, much of 1997's Kon Tiki sounds like stuff that could have ended up on The Beatles' cutting room floor sometime between Revolver and The White Album.  That's not to say that the material on Kon Tiki isn't quality, just that the Beatles, of course, didn't do it. 

There are definite shades of other influences on the album, but The Beatles, Lennon and Harrison in particular, are undoubtedly the most prominent.  Cotton Mather isn't shy about that, I'd say, but that doesn't mean that Kon Tiki fails to deliver anything novel to the ears.  Employing a wide variety of instruments and production textures, the album certainly provides a worthwhile sonic experience, and frontman Robert Harrison (no relation to George) has no problems flexing his versatile, grossly underrated songwriting muscles.

All in all, all that provides for a wonderfully balanced album.  Some of the harmonies and melodies may sound familar, but, more often than not, the general arrangements spare them from the realms of cliche.  "Camp Hill Rail Operator" rockingly opens her up, and appropriately, as any good opener should, gets you warmed up and asking for more.  What follows doesn't disappoint, for the most part. 

"Homefront Cameo", "Spin my Wheels", "Private Ruth", "Aurora Bori Alice", "She's Only Cool" and the album's closer, "Autumn's Birds", are all highlights.  "My Before and After", eventually released as a single, was actually a minor hit in the UK after Oasis guitarist and songwriter, Noel Gallagher, caught wind of the album and asked Cotton Mather to join them on tour.  Nevertheless, if I had to choose one, and only one, track to extract from this Kon Tiki, it would have to be "Lily Dreams On".  A simply constructed, yet plainly beautiful, song, "Lily Dreams On" certainly makes the extremely long list of songs I wish I'd written myself.  It never gets old, and has the all too unique quality of engaging the listener to the point where they almost feel a part of the song itself.  Listen to it with a nice pair of Grados or Sennheisers.  Hopefully the experience will be the same.

Unfortunately, despite the classic nature of this album, Kon Tiki has become a bit of a rarity on CD.  New copies sell for over $100 at times, and even used cuts rarely go for under 20 bucks.  That said, if you happen to come across one in your local record store's bargain bin, snatch it up.  My copy's not for sale...

Track Listing

1. Camp Hill Rail Operator
2. Homefront Cameo
3. Spin My Wheels
4. My Before and After
5. Private Ruth
6. Vegetable Row
7. Aurora Bori Alice
8. Church of Wilson
9. Lily Dreams On
10. Password
11. Animal Show Drinking Song
12. Prophecy for the Golden Age
13. She's Only Cool
14. Autumn's Birds

F-Tunes Ratings

Saturation: 8.25
Sonic Upholstery: 9.0
I&I: N/A
Replay Value: High

Overall: 8.75, You should have this on the rack.

Download "Lily Dreams On" at iTunes (sorry, they don't carry the whole album)

Entire album available at Amazon

On the heels of winning the album of the year Grammy for River: The Joni Letters, Herbie Hancock now receives an even bigger and more exclusive honor:  Having Head Hunters inducted into Frumpzilla's F-Tunes' Hall of Fame.

By 1973 Herbie Hancock had long been established as a stellar Jazz musician and artist.  I use the qualifier "Jazz", because Hancock's exposue and mass appeal was perhaps still limited to that genre's enthusiasts, or at least music enthusiasts in general.  Combining elements of Jazz, Funk, Rock, R&B and African rhythms into a sound that would eventually be known simply as "Fusion", Head Hunters made Herbie Hancock a household name.

Jazz, and music in gernal, was going through some revolutionary changes in the late 60's and early 1970's; electronics and synthesized sounds were beginning to enter the fray, and the guitar had established itself as the driving musical force in virtaully all forms of popular music.  Though Herbie shuns the guitar here, preferring to experiement with the clavinet instead, Head Hunters still qualifies as being on the cutting edge of this eras movements and arguably sits at the apex of Fusion Jazz's potential. 

Hancock has said that one of his main influences for Head Hunters was the music of Sly and the Family Stone:  "I started thinking about Sly Stone and how much I loved his music and how funky "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself" is.  I was hearing that song over and over again."  From the very first notes of Head Hunters, the now ubiquitously recognzied bassline of "Chameleon", Sly's influence is easily recognized. 

Simply put, Head Hunters makes it difficult to keep still.  In fact, if you can manage to remain completely idle, not even tapping a foot or something, throughout the entire 15+ minutes of "Chameleon", I'd like to check your pulse.  Head Hunters also makes it difficult to not picture yourself in a montage of virtually every 70's cop/detective B movie, and, depending on your state of mind, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Of course, with the whole "I feel like I'm a bad ass PI in a 1976 film about inner-city drug lords" effect in mind, new listeners might hastily dismiss the grooves of  tracks such as "Sly" and "Vein Melter" as cliche.  But then that would be ignoring the context, not to mention forgetting that what gives rise to a cliche, the source if you will, should't be categorized as cliche itself.

Despite the appeal of "Chameleon", and it certainly is appealing, the reworking of "Watermelon Man", which Hancock had previously recorded as a standard Jazz tune about a decade earlier, is the standout track for me.  For one, clocking in at under 7 minutes long, it's a bit more accessible than the other 3 tracks on the album.  More importantly however, the song has an inescapably catchy, funked up backbeat and groove that still sounds fresh 35 years later.  Such beats and textures are characteristic of the entire album, and the brass is there to remind you that you're actually listening to "Jazz" (and dancing to it?).

By the time you hear the album's last note, it should be exceedinly clear that Head Hunters has had a profound influence on a plethora of artists and genres; Pop Rock to Hip Hop, Funk, Jazz, you name it.  Assuming it isn't on the rack already, it's certainly worthy of your collection.  John Hancock?  Ha, it's Herbie Hancock...

Track Listing

1. Chameleon
2. Watermelon Man
3. Sly
4. Vein Melter

Ratings

Saturation: 8.5
Sonic Upholstery: 9.0
I&I (Impact & Influence): 9.5
Replay Value: High

Overall: 9.0, Essential

Harvest gets the honor of being the first inductee into Frumpzilla's F-Tunes, our little archive of essential listening.  Why?  Well, for one the album artwork coordinates well with the rest of the site, and that's key.  It also happens to be one of the greatest albums of all-time, ever, and I just happened to be listening to it recently.  So, despite its age, it's fresh in my mind, and that helps a bit too...

As far as folk/country rock goes, though I really hate to use that term, it doesn't get much better than this.  Complete with guest appearances from Stephen Stills, David Crosby, James Taylor, and Linda Rondstadt, Harvest was arguably the biggest album of 1972, topping the Billboard charts and yielding two hit singles: "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold", the latter being Young's only #1 and his highest selling single to date.  The commercial success probably hampered Harvest's critical reception in some circles at the time, and perhaps still, but I've never been one to subscribe to the theory that commerical/mass appeal necessarily indicates lack of artistic depth or relevance.  Especially not here.

Harvest has the relatively unique feel of being meticulously planned and calcuated from a production standpoint, yet full of raw, spontaneous energy and emotion.  With song structures highlighting the redily forgotten fact that brilliance is often found in simplicity, perhaps most notably on the title track, every note seems to fall into its predetermined place; At the same time, you still get the feeling that  Young and the Stray Gators (Young's backing band for most of this album) are simply showcasing a mostly acoustic set at your local independent venue. 

There are some exceptions to this of course.  I could do without the orchestral arrangements of "There's a World", the low point of the album for me, though I don't mind, and actually enjoy, such theatrics on Young's ode to the Feminist Movement, "A Man Needs A Maid". 

Southern apologists, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, will just have to get over "Alabama" which, despite basically being a subtle reworking of "Southern Man", stands out as one of only two straight-up rockers on the album.  The other being "Words (Between the Lines of Age)", the album's closer and one of my all time favorites.

You'll typically find Harvest nestled somewhere in the bottom half of the top 100 of those now ubiqutious "Greatest Albums of All Time" lists.  I agree with that assessment.  You'll also typically find it at least a few spots behind another Young classic, 1970's After the Goldrush.  That, I couldn't disagree with more.  Young once told England's New Musical Express:  "I think Harvest is probably the finest record I've made."  We'll take his word for it.

Tracklisting

1. Out On The Weekend
2. Harvest
3. A Man Needs A Maid
4. Heart of Gold
5. Are You Ready For The Country?
6. Old Man
7. There's A World
8. Alabama
9. The Needle And The Damage Done
10. Words (Between The Lines Of Age)

Frumpzilla's F-Tunes Ratings

Saturation: 9.0
Sonic Upholstery: 9.25
Impact & Influence: 9.5
Replay Value: Very High

Overall: 9.25 (Essential)